Chinook Sexual Assault Centre ready to help
The Sexual Assault Centre based in Lethbridge was created to help survivors of sexual violence from across southwest Alberta.
The opened their doors recently and is ready to help those who have had a traumatizing experience.
“The Chinook Sexual Assault center was born out of a need to provide a one source location for people who've experienced sexual violence in their life,” explained Kristine Cassie, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre.
Cassie says that approximately ten years ago, the Sexual Violence Action Committee came together and with the help of many in the community including the chief prosecutor and police, developed protocols then on how to would respond to survivors of sexual violence who came forward.
“There's been far more talk about sexual violence than what we've seen before, but it's not just talk,” Cassie said. “These are real issues that have happened and real people who have been impacted so the need to actually have an identifiable source for people to come to is paramount in our region.”
Those protocols instigated talk about what core services were needed and how a standalone sexual assault center was needed for the region. The province did a big investigation on sexual violence and the services that were needed to address it and a centre was identified as being needed.
“We were very fortunate, and we feel very privileged that the province decided to invest in the Lethbridge area by creating the standalone sexual assault center,” Cassie said. “There's more than enough victims around for all of us to be supporting.”
Cassie emphasizes that everyone’s journey is different in terms of dealing with sexual violence and the purpose of the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre is to help survivors reclaim their lives and move forward from their trauma.
Unfortunately, some survivors may find the experience of taking their experience through the criminal justice system disempowering enough that it triggers traumatic memories.
“It’s really important for us to work with the individual on where they're at and where they want to go with themselves and their goals,” Cassie said. “Nobody is ever forced to make a report if they don’t want to.”
Another unfortunate fact, Cassie says, is that the true number of sexual violence victims is not known because not everybody comes forward because they're scared of reporting a sexual assault, as it is one of those things that's marked with a lot of shame and humiliation. Cassie emphasizes that sometimes people are made to believe that they will never be believed when they come forward. It is also possible that the first person they confided in about the violence may have reacted dismissively enough to discourage them from talking.
“We're hoping we can help survivors move past that fear that is triggered by ‘shaming culture’ so they feel comfortable coming forward and find their healthy path,” Cassie said. ““The general public also needs guidance on how to support people who've experienced sexual violence because things just don't get better overnight.”
Cassie says that the Sexual Assault Centre is staffed with six workers, four of which are front-line workers who do everything from navigating the system to helping survivors access whatever services they want to utilize.
If a survivor needs medical attention, to make a police report, or to go through court system, the front-line workers will be with them every step of the way.
“We want to really work with people on reclaiming who they are because a part of themselves is taken away from them through the process of sexual assault,” Cassie said. “It's about them being able to get what they need, learn coping strategies, and learn how to move forward in their lives.”
Cassie says that when survivors of sexual violence can tell someone about their experience, it them provides a sense of relief. Cassie states that the Sexual Assault Centre will be a place where survivors of sexual violence can share their experience without fear, a place where they will be believed.
The Chinook Sexual Assault Centre serves communities throughout the southwest region of Alberta and there are no barriers about who can seek help at the centre.
“If you experience sexual violence, you are welcomed here,” Cassie said. “It doesn't matter what culture or faith you're coming from. We welcome you to come here; we want men, women, the LGBTQ2, community, and people from other cultures. We want everyone that we have in this area to be able to come forward and to feel that sense of trust. These services are for everybody who would want to come through our doors.”
Although the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre is still young, Cassie and the rest of the people on staff have established a presence on social media and have brought some awareness to the schools through literature. The staff of the Sexual Assault Centre also want to bring their literature to medical clinics and contact the regional school divisions to see how they can bring awareness about sexual violence to both students and staff.
Currently, Cassie says, the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre is dependent on grant funding and so they have to make yearly applications to the Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Services to reapply for more grant funding, as the association was pivotal in getting the centre established.
“We don't know what's going to happen with elections, but we're hopeful that people are going to continue to see sexual violence as a major issue in our society,” Cassie said.
“People's lives really matter; if we want to have a productive work force and if we want to have people who are contributing to society, we need them to be healthy and able to do that.”
The Chinook Sexual Assault Centre is in Lethbridge at Suite 502-740, 4th Ave. South. More information about the centre can be found at www.csacleth.ca or by phoning (403) 694-1094.
“What we know is that one in three women and girls in Canada will experience some sort of sexual violence in their lifetime and that one in six men or boys will experience it,” Cassie said. “violence isn’t about sex; it’s about power and control. There's a need for us to help people not be silent and to reclaim themselves.