Sexual assault continues to be one of the most under-reported crimes in Canada despite an increase in occurrences. Between 1999 and 2014, the incidence of sexual assault increased from 33 to 37 per 1,000 women in the Canadian population (Johnson, 2017). A statistical profile of police-reported sexual assaults in Canada from 2009 to 2014 demonstrates that the majority of victims, 87%, were female, particularly young women and girls (Rotenberg, 2017). In 2014, sexual assault was the only exceptional increase in victimization rates compared to ten years prior, with an increase by 4%. However, only 5% of sexual assaults were brought to the attention of police (Johnson, 2017; Perreault, 2015). It is a common belief that in order to receive adequate service, victims must fit a stereotypical mold or perception of a ‘real’ victim that includes a number of characteristics: (1) the incident is quickly reported; (2) the victim is not under the influence of alcohol; (3) the offender is a stranger; (4) the victim has physical injuries; (5) there was a weapon used; (6) the victim presents to be emotionally upset; and the list goes on (Johnson, 2017; Maier, 2008). If these characteristics are not met, victims may feel reluctant to report the incident, as many feel re-victimized when confronted by police officers ​(McGregor, Wiebe, Marion & Livingstone, 2000). Research has demonstrated that rape myths influence the perception that law enforcement officials have of sexual assaults. O’Neal (2017) notes the following beliefs as rape myths:

…women fantasize about being raped, husbands cannot rape their wives, rape is simply unwanted sex and not a violent crime, healthy women can resist all sexual attacks, men can be sexually provoked to a point of no return, victims are usually attacked by strangers, all rape is violent, women who dress provocatively are asking for it, only attractive women are raped, women who engage in alcohol or drug-related flirting deserve to be raped, and false reports of rape are common (p. 3). 

By assuming these types of beliefs, it is common for police officers to demonstrate skepticism of sexual assault reports and then classify sexual assault cases as unfounded (Johnson, 2017; Venema, 2016). These beliefs combined with the number of stereotypical characteristics noted above often result in the unmet, narrow and prejudicial criteria that is asked of female victims for their case to be termed legitimate. Police officers are the first, and often only contact that female sexual assault victims have with the CJS, and this initial response is the most crucial in either deterring or encouraging a victim’s willingness to trust the system. 

    Female sexual assault victims want to be listened to, treated with dignity and have their stories taken seriously, which often times, does not occur (Johnson, 2017). Robyn Doolittle, through the Globe and Mail, shared stories of 36 female victims of sexual assault who did report their cases to the police; Eight of these victims had a positive experience reporting to the police, 11 said they were not updated about the investigation, 12 felt blamed or shamed during the police interview, and 25 had their allegation dismissed before going to court (Doolittle, 2017). According to Powell and Cauchi (2013), feeling valued is one of the most influential aspects of an officers response on victims of sexual assault which is not a difficult action to manifest. Open and active listening, non-judgemental tones, and properly structured questions are also noted to be of high importance to victims. Maier (2008) notes that questions pertaining to attire, the use of substances, degree of resistance and prior sexual encounters are insensitive and done without proper training. The revictimization of sexual assault complainants occurs when multiple investigators are assigned to a case which forces the victim to retell their story multiple times. Intrusive questioning towards the victim may seem necessary in order to gather strong and reliable information, however, victim-blaming is often correlated with such questioning tactics. 

    In a study by Venema (2016), police officer perceptions and decision-making in sexual assault cases is examined through schema theory; when police officers respond to a call, they use prior knowledge and experience to interpret the victim’s story and evidence about the alleged assault. Schemas represent shortcuts of a large amount of information which is important to understand the way police culture generally progresses through sexual assault cases. As a result of this study, officers admitted that if the victim and suspect had or have a relationship, if there is any regret on behalf of the victim, or if the victim has emotional issues, they will most likely perceive the report as false. Officers agreed that “they tend to remember being lied to, and they recall false reports more easily and frequently than those perceived as legitimate” (p. 879). It is common that officers perceive victims, specifically females, as revenge and/or attention seekers. However, research demonstrates that only 2-10% of sexual assault complaints are recorded to be false (Johnson, 2017), therefore, the other 90% of complaints that are true do not all get the respect and unbiased reaction of police officers that they deserve. Quinlan (2016) notes that there are major inconsistencies in police investigative techniques for sexual assaults in which officers prioritize different elements of a victim’s case in order to deem it as legitimate. Both Quinlan (2016) and Vemema (2016) highlight officer admittance of the stereotypical characteristics and rape myths previously discussed as having a direct effect and bias on their initial call to investigate. 

    The prejudicial treatment of sexual assault victims, specifically females, results in lower levels of trust with others, negative perceptions of their own neighbourhoods, and most notably, low confidence with police services. As outlined in the 2014 General Social Survey on Victimization, victims of sexual assault had lower levels of confidence in the police than victims of other matters of crime and were more likely to have no confidence at all (Conroy & Cotter, 2017). As Johnson (2017) notes, “the actions of one police officer can either deter or encourage willingness to trust the police” (p. 50), and the latter is not as common as it should be. One victim states that she “would not report to police in the future because of the trauma of reliving the assault, the triggering effects of past assaults, and the questioning of her integrity and honesty” (p. 54). Less than half of sexually assaulted victims in this study felt that procedural justice, the respectful and compassionate response, was provided by police officers. The very limited amount of women who decide to involve police trust them to enforce the law while upholding the protection of victims, however, the acceptance of rape myths and prejudicial treatment commonly deters sexual assault victims from reporting future incidents. A greater intersection between police and Violence Against Women front-line staff, clientele, and agencies is needed in order to foster enhanced sexual assault training, response, report writing and most importantly, better connection with victims. Clinical Psychologist Dr. Lori Haskell is an expert on the neurobiology of trauma in relation to sexual violence and has been providing trauma-informed training to many police services across Canada. Working with experts like Dr. Haskell is a great step in the right direction and would be extremely beneficial for police officers to understand trauma and its effect on victims. It is also the culture that needs to change. Police culture is not going to adjust unless societal acceptance of matters of a sexual nature is terminated. Prejudicial treatment of police response to female victims of sexual assault needs to be changed, and it needs to be changed now…#TimesUp.

​
References:

Johnson, H. (2017). Why doesn’t she just report it? Apprehensions and contradictions for women who report sexual violence to the police. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 29(1), 36–59. doi:10.3138/cjwl.29.1.36

Conroy, S., & Cotter, A. (2017). Self-reported sexual assault in Canada, 2014. Retrieved from Statistics Canada website:https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2017001/article/14842-eng.htm

Doolittle, R. (2017). What it's like to report a sexual assault: 36 people share their stories. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/what-its-like-to-report-a-sexual-assault-36-people-share-their-stories/article34338353/
Johnson, H. (2017). Why doesn’t she just report it? Apprehensions and contradictions for women who report sexual violence to the police. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 29(1), 36–59. doi:10.3138/cjwl.29.1.36
Maier, S. (2008). “I have heard horrible stories …”. Violence Against Women, 14(7), 786-808.         doi:10.1177/1077801208320245

McGregor, M. J., Wiebe, E., Marion, S. A., & Livingstone, C. (2000). Why don’t more women report sexual assault to the police? CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 162(5), 659–660.

O’Neal, E. (2017): “Victim is not credible”: The influence of rape culture on police perceptions of sexual assault complainants. Justice Quarterly. doi:10.1080/07418825.2017.1406977 

Perreault, S. (2015). Criminal victimization in Canada, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14241-eng.htm

Powell, M. B., & Cauchi, R. (2013). Victims’ perceptions of a new model of sexual assault investigation adopted by Victoria police. Police Practice & Research, 14(3), 228-241. doi:10.1080/15614263.2011.641376

Quinlan, A. (2016). Suspect survivors: Police investigation practices in sexual assault cases in Ontario, Canada. Women and Criminal Justice, 26(4), 301–318. doi10.1080/08974454.2015.1124823 

Rotenberg, C. (2017). Police-reported sexual assaults in Canada, 2009 to 2014: A statistical profile. Retrieved from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2017001/article/54866-eng.htm

Venema, R. M. (2016). Police officer schema of sexual assault reports. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(5), 872-899. doi:10.1177/0886260514556765   

By Lieran Docherty, Program Manager ​

Toronto Police Service has launched a new and interactive website for sexual assault survivors called Project Guide. The website is an online resource designed to provide an array of information to survivors including information on community support available and how to report incidents to the police. The new website also aims to help survivors understand what they can expect from various processes including step by step information on reporting sexual assault to the police, the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit and the court process.

The website features an interactive map with resources available across the city and an information guide with answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. The information guide is available in 12 languages. ​

Click here to visit the website.

Harmy Mendoza, Executive Director of WomanACT, is showing her support for Bill 157 (amendments to Bill 148) at a press conference on Thursday, September 28th at Queen’s Park.

A year ago, Bill 26 was brought forth by Peggy Sattler, Ontario NDP critic for Women’s Issues, Education, and Skills Development. This bill pushed for:

• Ten days of paid leave;
• Workplace accommodations; and
• Mandatory workplace training on domestic and sexual violence.

Bill 26 was supported and passed unanimously by the three parties, yet referred to Committee, where it has remained with no further action.

Building on Bill 26, amendments to Bill 148, currently introduced in Bill 157 are specifically addressing the following:

1. Amending the Employment Standards Act (ESA) by requiring employers to provide leave to employees who have experienced DV or SV, or whose children have experienced DV or SV; This leave includes up to ten (10) days of paid leave, as well as 15 weeks of unpaid leave per calendar year.
   
   
2. Including a provision that requires the paid portion of this leave to be covered by the Ontario government.
   
   
3. Amending the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to require that employers provide mandatory training on DV and SV to all managers, supervisors and workers.
   
   

Harmy Mendoza believes, “…the amendments suggested for Bill 148 are critical in addressing domestic and sexual violence. I would like to particularly applaud the provision requiring the paid portion of this leave to be covered by the Ontario government. This provision will likely increase the possibility of ensuring a supportive workplace and/or employer, given that providing a leave under this bill would not impact workplaces financially.”

Theresa Vince, Lori Dupont, Ravinder Kaur Bhangu, Camille Runke: all murdered at their workplaces by their partners… the list goes on. Domestic homicides or murder by an intimate partner represents 17% of all solved homicides in Canada and 47% of all family homicides.

“How many more victims will be added to the list? What do we need to do to ensure we, as a society, are able to protect those who need it the most? What do we need to do to be considered a priority?”

Harmy Mendoza, Executive Director of WomanACT, fully support amendments proposed to Bill 148 and hope these amendments can eventually become law.
​
Click here to read Bill 148.

​By Gabrielle Provencher, Social Media Volunteer at WomanACT

Stop by City Hall today to see the Roadshow, focusing onbringing awareness and encouraging dialogue about the problem of sexual assault!

The Roadshow is a pop-up participatory art gallery in a shipping container.The retrofitted, glass fronted container will travel on a flat bed truck to 15 cities in Ontario over a three year period. At each stop, local artists will work with anti-violence experts and community participants to create, curate and exhibit art that “talks back” to sexual assault. 
​
Recently, there has been unprecedented dialogue and awareness about the crime and sexual violence generally. The Roadshow serves as work space and an exhibition site for multiple art forms that will further that dialogue in creative, community based and transformative ways. 

Toronto artists Mosa McNeilly and Apanaki Temitayo Minerve will conduct scheduled workshops from September 11th to the 18th, and provide opportunities for passersby in Nathan Phillips Square to get involved.  Art created in Roadshow stops in Toronto, Oshweken and Hamilton will be on display inside the container. 

The Roadshow is a project by sexual assault activist Jane Doe and artist/activist Lillian Allen. It is funded by the Ontario Arts Council and sponsored by VTape, the source for video and new media. It is also committed to working with Indigenous, Black, racicalized, Trans, gender non-conforming and other artists and participants disproportionately affected by sexual violence.

Will you be stopping by to visit the roadshow? Share your pics with us on Facebook if you do! 

By Gabrielle Provencher, Social Media Volunteer at WomanACT

York University has recently completed a survey with undergraduate students about their knowledge around sexual assault policy, procedure and response on campus. This initiative is part of the ‘Silence is Violence’ movement which aims to radically alter the culture of institutional violence on university campuses across Canada.
 
The survey has been completed by 406 students from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS) during the winter semester of 2016. Shockingly, the survey has found undergraduate students unaware of sexual assault resources on their campus. Indeed, 88% of respondents indicated they have received information about sexual assault at York while 78% report they do not know where to seek further information on the topic.

Furthermore, the findings also raised concerns about greater risk of victimization for visible minorities. One participant expressed his/her opinion on the fact that institutional responses to sexual assault could be “counter-productive” and lead to “racial profiling” leading to a false sense of security on campus when it comes to reporting.
 
Following the study, Silence is Violence concluded that these findings demonstrate the need for an intersectional strategy to identify and respond to safety needs of a diverse undergraduate student population.

Download the full report here
Download File

Download the 1 page graphic here
Download File