Service New Brunswick Minister Sherry Wilson, who is also the minister responsible for women’s equality, met with officials at the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre and signed a declaration recognizing May as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. (GNB)
The province has once again deemed May Sexual Assault Awareness Month, in efforts to bring awareness and education on the issue.
Advocates are also encouraging people to think about the role they can play in preventing it.
One such advocate is Lorraine Whalley, Executive Director at the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre. For her, collaboration is key for awareness.
“Sexual Assault Awareness Month is really about collaborating with our community partners, and government partners around the province to raise awareness about sexual assault, sexual violence,” she said.
The Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre has been helping victims of sexual assault for over 40 years.
Whalley says this is the ninth year the month has been recognized in New Brunswick. Over the years, she’s noticed a big change in the way people talk about sexual assault, and that more people feel comfortable sharing their stories.
“We’ve seen over the past three or four years, quite a dramatic increase in disclosures, whether its disclosures through social media or sort of one on one people talking about it,” she said.
She also says the centre has seen an increase in calls to their 24/7 support line and requests for counselling services.
Whalley correlates this change to the rise of the Me Too movement around the globe, which has made people more comfortable sharing their stories around sexual assault.
“It’s really provided that opportunity, and I think more of a safe environment for people to come forward, even though its still quite difficult, you know, to talk about sexual assault.”
She says while this awareness and openness is a positive change, there’s still work to do, especially around prevention and education.
“Our campaign recognizes that everyone has a role in preventing and responding to sexual violence, whether it is offering support to someone we know who has been sexually assaulted, calling out someone’s victim-blaming attitudes or finding opportunities to get involved in our own community,” said Whalley.
Communities across the province will be holding events this month, including workshops, crisis intervention training, and awareness walks.
