Approximately 25 per cent of women in North America will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. The North Coast Transition Society offers many services to support these women.
Instances of sexual assault have been on the rise over the past few years. While sexual assault is common, only 6 per cent of cases are actually reported to the RCMP.
There are many reasons why a sexual assault may go unreported, with the biggest one being limited or no support available.
North Coast Transition Society executive director Grainne Barthe said the transition society has many resources available to help women through a traumatic experience.
“We have a sexual assault program that provides 24/7 support to women who have been recently sexually assaulted. We support them through making a police statement, and providing support while she is waiting to go to court.”
Many women who have been recently sexually assaulted report feeling unsafe at home so the transition society offers a safe place to stay and grow, said Barthe.
“For the majority of people that use our services becoming safe is the number one priority, and with that, once you’ve become safe and your environment becomes safe in all respects people can grow. For some people that means they’re going back to school or moving into their own home.”
The B.C. RCMP said it’s never too late to report sexual assault.
“There’s no time limit to report an assault to police. Even if you were assaulted years ago, you can still report it to police. Many survivors do not report right away, and choose to do so later in their lives.”
