Four women headed a panel to talk about how the police force can better serve sexual assault survivors, especially those who choose to report it, on Jan. 22.
The panel was headed by the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry and UBCO and included panelists from different sectors of society who were brought together by their advocacy to support sexual assault survivors.
The event was organized after 麻豆精选 revealed last year that 40 per cent of sexual assault cases were deemed 鈥渦nfounded鈥� in 2018, which is more than double the provincial average.
Unfounded cases mean police didn鈥檛 find evidence that the crime was attempted or that it occurred at all.
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The focal point of the panel discussion was to answer two main questions:
- Why are sexual assault cases being deemed unfounded at differential rates compared to other assault cases like physical assault?
- What are the individual and structural changes that need to happen in the system?
Buffy Mills, one of the panelists, said when the alarmingly high statistic first became public, she felt sick and disgusted.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 help but feel for the victims who鈥檝e experienced sexual assault. For someone to dismiss them altogether, like they don鈥檛 matter,鈥� Mills said.
鈥淭hey were going to a detachment, talking to a police officer looking for help and they鈥檙e dismissed 鈥� I have no other words but it makes me sick to my stomach knowing there are women out there 鈥� being told they鈥檙e irrelevant.鈥�
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Panelist Elaine Alec said she wasn鈥檛 surprised by the numbers, but having to build safe spaces now will be a long road.
鈥淚 think what it really breaks down to is being able to show each other vulnerability,鈥� she said.
She added that supporting those who鈥檝e gone through trauma means trying to understand them.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 understand trauma and understand what it鈥檚 like to go through that, it鈥檚 really hard to support people. I don鈥檛 think enough people in our society overall understand how to respond when someone discloses 鈥� I know that there鈥檚 so much training that needs to happen with the RCMP because 40 per cent unfounded is basically saying 40 per cent we don鈥檛 believe you.鈥�
The panelists agreed that the most important thing that must happen is to train officers to handle and understand how trauma works, and to ask questions with compassion, especially in sexual violence cases.
The RCMP recently said it has completed its internal review of the high number of sexual assaults that were deemed 鈥渦nfounded鈥� by police in 2018 and 2019, however, the results will not be made public for several more weeks.
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