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By David Opinko

Sexual assault calls up 61% in Southern Alberta during pandemic

Oct 23, 2020 | 11:51 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of those in the region in many ways, which we now know includes sexual violence.

Between April 1 to September 24 of this year, the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre (CSAS) received 121 calls to their crisis line. During the same period in 2019, there were 75 reports of sexual assault.

The Government of Alberta first declared the pandemic a state of public health emergency on March 17.

“Some of this is attributed to COVID and some of the needs that people have being in isolation, you know, having to deal with some of these issues on their own and feeling quite alone,” says CSAS CEO Kristine Cassie

She told LNN that domestic violence plays a significant role in this.

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“In domestic violence situations, we know that sexual violence is certainly a part of that and that will continue to increase in times of a close down where people are made to be isolated. Certainly, this is compounded when people have lost jobs and are not having that outlet to go someplace else – it increases the stress within the home and it increases the violence in the home.”

Cassie did not have statistics on hand that show what percentage of cases were matters of domestic sexual assault versus instances where the victim and the perpetrator did not know each other, but says those happen frequently too.

It has become more common recently, she claims, where a perpetrator has taken advantage of someone who has been feeling isolated due to pandemic restrictions.

“Although a bulk of our calls will come directly from Lethbridge, we are seeing a spike of calls from areas like Raymond, which could be because of the recent court cases that have happened, so again, more people are talking about what’s going on so there’s more referrals coming that way. We’ve had calls as far away as Milk River, Nanton, Taber we’re actually had quite a few.”

While the pandemic has likely resulted in more instances of sexual assault, Cassie gave the caveat that they have become a more well-known agency over the last two years, so part of the rising numbers could be due to the fact that more people know to reach out to them.

If you are a victim of sexual violence, whether it happened recently or further in the past, she wanted to make it clear that you are not alone and that you are still a person worthy of love and care.

CSAS offers crisis support, system navigation for matters such as housing and employment, support through the police and court systems, and free counselling for victims of sexual violence through a partnership with Lethbridge Family Services.

Cassie also gave advice for those who have noticed that their friend or family member has been a victim.

“Always, when someone has told you that they have been a victim, listen and believe them. We know that your initial responses make a world of difference on if they feel confident in coming forward to get support.”

CSAS can be reached during office hours at 403-694-1094. After hours, you can call or text the provincial government’s One Line for Sexual Violence at 1-866-403-8000.

You can also contact CSAS on their website or social media.