The Nova Scotia government is providing $900,000 to organizations that deal with sexual violence.

The announcement was made at the legislature Friday morning to mark  Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

As police, politicians, and those who work with sexual assault organizations gathered to mark the day, thoughts quickly turned to 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons.

“While we grieve with the family we know that Rehtaeh will not be forgotten,” says Acadia First Nation Chief Deborah Robinson.

Rehtaeh’s family says she took her own life after an alleged sexual assault and the bullying that followed.

Her story sparked a firestorm of anger and prompted calls for action.

Those who work in the area of sexual violence say it isn’t just a problem – it’s a provincial crisis.

“We’re not talking about some issues of bullying in the school yard. We’re talking about rape. We’re talking about sexual violence and we need to call it what it is,” says Irene Smith, head of the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre in Halifax.

Last week, the province introduced a Cyber Safety Act, and two days ago, $100,000 in emergency funding for the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre was announced, as well as an emergency fund for other organizations across the province to tap into.

Today, the province laid more money on the table in an effort to help communities address sexual violence.

Marilyn More, the minister responsible for the status of women, says the funding includes $700,000 over two years to help develop services for victims and $200,000 in grants to organizations that deal with sexual violence.

“Certainly in providing communities with some support to talk together and to look at how we can work more closely together is a good thing,” says Lucille Harper of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre.

Details are still being worked out, but More says the grant money should be available in a few months.

It will take a little longer to learn more about how the $700,000 will be rolled out.

“There’s still a lot of what ifs and unknowns around their strategy where so we want to see more detail,” says Liberal MLA Kelly Regan. “We want to see a sexual assault strategy. We still haven’t seen that.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster