If you start to see #TrustYourself fly by when scrolling through your social media feed, it is part of an initiative from Island Health to encourage survivors of sexual assault to seek medical care.
The social media campaign is challenging the status quo – many people do not report sexual violence for a variety of reasons including stigma, fear of reprisal or the idea that drug or alcohol impairment could diminish their credibility.
Me Too At Work: Sexual assault and harassment in the B.C. workplace
Sexual assault is the most under-reported violent crime in Canada, with just one in every 20 sexual assaults reported to police, according to Statistics Canada, despite the number of cases reported increasing since the #MeToo movement went viral in October 2017.
| Reports of sexual assault in B.C. spike after #MeToo goes viral: Stats Canada
Forensic nurse examiners have specialized training and can help survivors up to seven days after an assault, providing medication and connecting survivors to counselling support. Services are free, strictly confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Vancouver Island Crisis line at 1-888-494-3888. RELATED: Sexual assault victims often decide against giving rape kits to police: study According to Statistics Canada, 87 per cent of people who report sexual assaults are women and 13 per cent are men. Support is available to people of all genders and with options to liaise with the legal system with a survivor’s consent and provide referrals for follow-up care. The campaign also tackles domestic violence with the message, “But we’re together,” reinforcing that sexual and physical violence happens within relationships, and is considered a crime. For more information on Island Health’s forensic nurse examiners, visit IslandHealth.ca/trustyourself. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter Just Posted Victoria restaurant gets one-year extension after facing renovictionPluto’s Restaurant set to stay at its Cook Street location until March 2021  Woman injured during West Shore RCMP arrest prompts police watchdog investigationIIO investigating to determine if police action or inaction linked to woman’s injuries  Victoria Foundation’s community grants support 109 local non-profitsFoundation delivers $2.8 million in grant money to local organizations  Delayed downtown Victoria holiday Lights of Wonder back on trackDisplay set to kick off on Dec. 20  Strathcona hotel complex venues closed due to ‘construction issues’Business announced closure on Thursday afternoon on Facebook  ‘Not a decision I came to lightly:’ Scheer to resign as Conservative leaderDecision comes after weeks of Conservative infighting following the October election  Markstrom makes 43 saves to lift Canucks to 1-0 OT win over HurricanesPettersson nets winner for Vancouver  Greater Victoria wanted list for the week of Dec. 10Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers is seeking the public’s help in locating the… Continue reading  POLL: Do you have a real or artificial Christmas tree?The lights are up, holiday shoppers are bustling through the streets and… Continue reading  ‘British Columbians are paying too much’: Eby directs ICBC to delay rate applicationAttorney General David Eby calls for delay in order to see how two reforms play out  VIDEO: Octopus, bald eagle battle after bird ‘bites off more than it can chew’ in B.C. watersB.C. crew films fight between the two feisty animals in Quatsino off north Vancouver Island  Couple who bought $120k banana duct-taped to wall say artwork will be ‘iconic’Pair compared it to Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans,’ which was initially ‘met with mockery’  Race to replace Andrew Scheer could be a crowded oneMany familiar faces, such as Maxime Bernier, Jason Kenney, Doug Ford and Kevin O’Leary, have said no  Sooke’s École Poirier students win B.C. Hydro Power Smart contestMore than 100 schools compete in province-wide competition Most Read |
