May is Sexual Assault Prevention Month in Ontario and Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce wants to let people know that there are local supports for survivors.
This Sexual Assault Prevention Month, the Men’s Program is highlighting that there are resources to support male survivors of sexual violence in Grey Bruce.
“We’re still seeing myths that boys and men cannot be assaulted, that they should always want sexual encounters, or that they should always be able to fight back when they don’t want something,” says Men’s Program Supervisor Jon Farmer “These ideas are false and they discourage male survivors from getting help. We know that boys and men in our community have experienced sexual violence. They deserve support and support is available. It’s also a myth that you can’t get help if you haven’t reported to police. Help is available to all survivors whether or not police are aware.”
According to Statistics Canada data from 2019, only 6% of people who experienced sexual assault reported to police.
Reasons why it goes so unreported they say is fear of not being believed or being blamed, distrust of the justice system and the publicity of court proceedings, and complicated relationships with the perpetrator.
Canadian data from 2017 reports that among survivors “81% of victims were sexually assaulted by someone known to them.”