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As many of you know, we take time once a month to address important topics that we feel aren’t always the easiest to talk about, nor talked about enough. We want to use this platform and use our voices to shine a light on stigmatized or taboo subjects in hopes to help someone struggling with the same issue.
We also want to talk about movements that are currently happening around the world, discuss them, state our opinion, and create a conversation. Every year in the month of April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month is observed. We believe it's important that these movements are addressed and recognized for the messages behind them until change happens because we will never see change if we hide behind silence.
We would like to talk about a very serious topic that has been happening to both men and women for many years. This is a topic that people find difficult to address and difficult to stand up against. Some people choose to look in the other direction when they see or hear about this issue happening, and our goal through the "No Filter Friday" posts is to inspire people to think a little deeper by speaking up for those who cannot, and for those who are too afraid.
The issue we want to bring to the table today is sexual abuse. What is sexual abuse? It's when one person forces unwanted sexual behaviour onto another person. Threats, violence, and intimidation are just some of the tactics used in the abuse. Around 67% of Canadians know at least one woman who has been sexually abused at some point in their lives. Other than sexual intercourse, this can come in many forms such as stalking, and verbal abuse like catcalling. This can also occur anywhere, even in places where victims feel safe. Unfortunately, abusers are usually someone we may already know and we've trusted for a long time. The person initiating this behaviour is known as the sexual abuser.
Sexual abuse can happen to anybody, women, men, and children. When the abuse happens, victims are usually left too embarrassed, too afraid, and left with no words to say. They often don't know how to move forward with what happened to them, who they can talk to, what to do, and most of the time they don't know whether or not what happened to them is even a crime. The immediate symptoms are shock, fear, or even a disbelief that this actually happened to them. Over time, this affects the victims psychologically. Some of the effects of sexual abuse are: depression, discrimination, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, accidental pregnancy, psychological trauma and many more.
Children who were victims from this type of abuse are more likely to develop deep psychological and mental health issues and are at a greater risk for developing alcohol, drug, or substance abuse problems as an adult. Their adult lives are largely shaped from these traumatic events. With this, we would like to emphasize the importance of educating young men and women to treat people with respect, and even practice asking for consent in daily activities. Do not penalize women for wearing something "too revealing," and encourage acts of sexualization based on what they wear and what they choose to do. Women should feel safe in every setting, no matter how old they are.
We would like to end this post with a reminder that the normalization of blaming victims of any type of abuse must be put to an end. If you have experienced sexual abuse or know someone who has, there are resources available that you can reach out to, especially if you are not comfortable with talking about your incident with a family member or your friends.
We hope that one day, sexual violence will be put to an end. Let us continue to spread awareness and educate our children so we can create a better and safer environment for everyone to live in. We stand with victims of sexual abuse and we'd like to thank those who are brave enough to share their stories, despite the challenges that you had to go through by speaking up. You are not alone.
Hotlines and other resources:
Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence. (Call or text: 1-866-403-8000)
Spreading love to everyone,
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