There’s been a noticeable increase in phone calls to the sexual assault centre in Fredericton, so much so that more volunteers are needed to answer them all.
“Almost three times the amount of calls that we would normally get historically in the past year, probably since January,” says Jenn Gorham, program co-ordinator of the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre.
Gorham says the growing call volume might not mean there's a growing number of crimes being committed.
“I think what you're seeing are more people willing to reach out for support,” she says. “Even though it's a recognition that this is still an issue, and obviously a significant issue in our communities, it's also a recognition that people are reaching out and the stigma of saying 'This has happened to me and I need to talk to someone' is hopefully chipping away,” says Gorham.
In June, the three schools on Fredericton's College Hill made a commitment to develop a campus-wide sexual assault strategy. Two years ago, the universities, city police, hospital and crisis centre made moves to take uniform action when a crime is reported.
Take Back the Night chairperson Rebecca Ward says education – especially as of late – is making an impact.
“We have broken down stigma about what it is to be sexually assaulted, what is consent,” says Ward. “A lot of people are sexually assaulted and they don't know because we tell them that, ‘No, that wasn't assault,' ... and we force people to second guess themselves.”
The centre is reaching out for more volunteers.
“We're looking for someone who is 19 plus, someone who is woman-identified and someone who has time,” says Gorham. “The training is quite lengthy and takes 60 plus hours to complete.”
Gorham is hopeful people will come forward to meet the growing need.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.
