Support list created for sex assault survivors

Two Somali-canadian advocates have created an online resource specifically for racialized survivors of sexual assault, saying a centralized guide is necessary to fill gaps in both the health-care and justice systems that leave marginalized women behind.

Habon Ali of Toronto and Edmonton’s Asmaa Ali said existing resources are either scarce in nature or scattered across the internet, making it difficult for victims to track down the help they need. The women contend the issues persist both in the immediate aftermath of sexual violence and further down the road when victims need medical rather than legal support.

Spurred on by both the patchwork of systems at home and the death of a Black Lives Matter activist abroad, the women compiled a 28-page document listing resources including help lines, legal services and places to obtain sexual assault kits across the country.

“It was important for us to put together these resources because there’s a barrier in finding them and we did our best to remove them,” said Asmaa Ali, a registered nurse and recent graduate of the University of Alberta.

She said sexual violence resources in Canada are seldom geared toward intersectional communities and often leave Black, Indigenous and other people from racialized communities out of the conversation.

She and Habon Ali sought out resources that included those communities, adding their focus was on providing support to vulnerable women with intersectional experience.

The guide is also intended to provide additional help for students and immigrants, groups Habon Ali cited as particularly likely to fall through the cracks of Canada’s current systems.

She said language barriers often make it difficult for ethnic minority groups to find and secure the help they need.

“Sexual violence is pervasive across all social and cultural boundaries globally and it’s important we acknowledge the systemic inequalities that result in racial health disparities,” she said.

Asmaa Ali said both women felt moved to take action in Canada after reading about the suspicious death of a young activist in the United States.

Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, went missing in early June after tweeting about being sexually assaulted by a man. She was found dead in Florida days later.

Aaron Glee Jr. 49, is now charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in connection with her death.

Both Canadian advocates said Salau’s death highlights a stigma Black women face when they speak up against their assailants.