It’s society’s hidden, ugly secret. Across Canada, women and men of all ages are forced into sexual acts, then left injured and confused, wondering whether to report it to authorities and seek justice.
In Squamish, there is finally a forensic service available Monday to Friday, the so-called “rape kits” used by a trained nurse to collect evidence, should the victim wish to pursue charges against the attacker. Previously, victims had to travel to Vancouver if they wanted evidence collected – and on weekends, they still do.
But statistics show that few people even report the crimes, and fewer still go to court. Of 460,000 sexual assaults annually in Canada, only 15,000 are reported to police and less than one per cent go to trial, according to Statistics Canada.
In 2014, The Squamish Chief published a feature about the earlier rape of Councillor Susan Chapelle – and the surprise was that hundreds of other women in town then started openly saying yes, it had also happened to them, but they had never reported it. While Chapelle’s brave sharing of her story made sexual assault a topic in Squamish, many hoped the trial of former CBC star Jian Ghomeshi would bring rape issues to the forefront across Canada, finally freeing us of shame and barbarism. That doesn’t seem to be happening.
In sexual assault trials, victims are put under scrutiny and the accused sometimes does not even take the stand to answer to allegations. Women who are abused often do act strangely afterward. It’s part of the Cinderella syndrome, in that our girls are taught from a young age that a prince will save them from their misery and bring them to a happily-ever-after. When their prince becomes abusive and violent, some believe there must be a mistake and immediately begin to forgive him and seek his love to restore their own self-worth. They are still trying to find the prince within the monster, not believing they were duped.
Ghomeshi may be found not guilty by the court, but thousands of perpetrators of sexual assault will never even face a trial, let alone justice, for the irreparable harm they have caused. This is because the crimes are never reported. The victims do not want to be revictimized in court and in the media circus that ensues. It’s easier, they believe, to just move on with their lives or even to try to convince themselves that the beast was actually a prince, that they are still a princess in a fairy tale.
Rape is our collective shame. Let’s come out of the dark age of misogyny and create an atmosphere so that victims will start reporting this violent crime.
