Voices for Women a 'safe place' for sex abuse victims

Only about one per cent of women who suffer abuse step forward to report the crime, but the co-ordinator of a local intervention program is hoping that will change with a new centre destined for Sudbury.

Furthermore, national statistics indicated that one in three women experience sexual violence, and Sudbury is no different, Nancy Horan, co-ordinator for the Violence Intervention and Prevention program at Health Sciences North said.

The consequences of sexual assault can have a life-changing impact on everything a woman does, from how they interact with their families to how they continue with relationships. It can be a long-term healing process

The new Voices for Women centre will support local women who have experienced sexual violence. It is set to open in March 2012.

Sudbury MPP and Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci announced more than $320,000 in funding for the new centre, which will be located at 96 Larch St.

The central location will increase access to services such as counselling, referrals, advocacy and a 24-hour crisis line, he said.

Operating funds are coming from the Ministry of the Attorney General at this point, Bartolucci said.

The new centre comes after the Sudbury Sexual Assault Crisis Centre suddenly closed its doors roughly a year ago.

"Due to irreconcilable internal difficulties leading to declining clientele, the agency could no longer justify and/or account for continued funding to provide the quality of services it demands for its clients," a press release issued by the centre in December 2010 stated.

In May, community agencies in Sudbury were invited to submit proposals to accept responsibility to become the new provider of sexual assault services in the city.

Health Sciences North will now assume the responsibilities for the co-ordination of the Voices for Women centre to ensure the crime of sexual assault is minimized throughout the community, Bartolucci said.

The new centre will occupy the third floor of the building on Larch Street, but it will also come with an outreach component, and the plan is to expand services out into the community and beyond, Horan said.

“There is still some work to be done in our community to let women know this will be a safe place for them to come,” Horan said.

The announcement is “an incredible moment for our team in that a vision to provide seamless care for the women who have been sexually victimized has become a reality,” she added.

This expansion will allow for the inclusive support for all women survivors of sexual abuse, women who will now have a safe place where they can encourage each other towards healing.

The Voices for Women centre will have a community-based and driven foundation with a goal to have an active role in community education, outreach and research, Horan said.

The mission is to be proactive in advocating social, political and equal rights for women, and “we will endeavour to build an equitable, safe and healthy community.”

Greater Sudbury Police Service Chief Frank Elsner said sexual assaults are a problem in the city, but that it's not any different in Sudbury than in any other community.

“It's one of those types of crimes that is absolutely horrendous,” he said.

“As an organization, we believe in being proactive so instances like sexual assault don't happen in the first place. It's wonderful that we now have a support mechanism in place for those victims, but I don't want them to be victims in the first place, and it's something we, as a community, really need to address.”

The announcement for the new centre was a “long time coming,” he said. Responding to cases of sexual assault is not as formalized a system as it should be, and more emphasis needs to be placed on following up with these cases.

Sexual assaults aren't a one-day event, and there has to be follow up and support by the community on an ongoing basis, he added.

“What's missing right now is an effort to change people's minds that sexual assault is a larger community issue,” Elsner said. “Addressing the issue of sexual assault isn't something we can do alone, and by bringing everyone together and bringing their best to the table, we will make great things happen.”

Together, the community partners with a vested interest in this program have accomplished a great deal, Bartolucci said.

“I look forward to working with you over the coming years to ensure that this centre lives up to the incredible responsibility it will have, and that we are here in a supportive role.”

Posted by Arron Pickard