May is Sexual Assault Prevention Month in Ontario
Sexual assault is a type of sexual violence. It is any unwanted or forced sexual act or touch of your own or another person’s body including kissing or groping. Sexual violence can also be verbal harassment, inappropriate texts or DMs, or sharing of intimate photos. All forms of sexual violence are NOT OK and are NEVER the fault of the victim.
Sexual assault is often not reported but can have wide-ranging impacts on a person's mental, physical, and emotional health. Addressing it requires a community effort to create a safer and more supportive environment for everyone.
Read below to learn the signs of sexual assault, ways to prevent it, and where to get help if you or someone you know are experiencing any form of sexual violence.
Anyone can experience this type of violence, no matter their age, race, gender, or background. Sexual violence most often occurs between people who know each other. It can happen between family members, friends, classmates, co-workers, people in romantic relationships, or strangers. Women, girls, gender-diverse people and people living with disabilities are at higher risk of experiencing sexual violence, as well as Indigenous women and other racialized minority groups.
- Behavioural Changes: Look for significant changes in behavior, like withdrawing from social interactions, sudden aggression, or fearfulness, which are often trauma responses following sexual assault.
- Physical Signs: Be aware of any new, unexplained injuries, particularly those that the person avoids explaining, as these can be signs of a recent assault.
- Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty sleeping, frequent nightmares, or other sleep disruptions can be indicative of trauma, often associated with sexual violence.
- Avoidance Behavior: Pay attention if someone starts to avoid certain places, events, or individuals without a clear reason, as they may be trying to avoid a perpetrator, or triggers related to an assault.
- Loss of Interest: A sudden disinterest in activities that one used to enjoy can signal depression or post-traumatic stress, which can occur after a traumatic event like sexual assault.
- Raise Awareness about Consent: Educate yourself and others about what consent means, emphasizing that it must be informed, voluntary, and enthusiastically happy. Teach people that consent involves more than hearing a “yes” or “no” – pay attention to body language and other signs that tell you if someone is comfortable or not.
- Confront Harmful Behaviour: If you witness behavior that undermines consent or makes light of sexual assault, speak up. Bystanders have a role in setting social norms, and your voice can be powerful.
- Support Survivors: Believe survivors when they come forward, and offer whatever assistance you can, whether it’s accompanying them to a hospital, helping them find counseling, or simply listening without judgment.
- Communicate Your Boundaries: Encourage conversations about personal boundaries, respect, and consent in your school, work, and social circles. This can be in the form of workshops, seminars, or casual discussions.
- Advocate for Change: Advocate for policies and programs that prevent sexual violence in places like schools, workplaces, and local government. This can include sexual harassment training, clear reporting procedures, and support services for survivors.
- Sexual Assault Crisis Centre of Essex County: has a 24-hour crisis line, counselling, peer support and resources. Call 519-253-9667
- Kids Help Phone: free, confidential 24/7 counselling and information services for young people across Canada. Call 1-800-668-6868 or Text 686868
- OneStopTalk: free, confidential multi-session mental health counselling service for Ontario youth aged 17 and under, including referral to local services. Call 1 855 416 8255 or chat on their website Monday – Friday: 12-8pm, Saturday: 12-4pm (last calls taken 45 minutes before closing). English and French. Culturally diverse therapists.
- Support for Survivors Services: The Ending Violence Association of Canada lists various sexual assault support services in Ontario, including crisis lines for immediate help and centers for long-term aid.
Background Information and Educator Supports
- Youth and Relationship Violence (WECHU): Learn the signs of unhealthy relationships and ways to build healthy relationships to help you have conversations with youth.
- Gender-Based Violence Prevention Educator Resources (Ophea): increases educators’ understanding of the issue, how to raise awareness, and how it can be prevented through early education and honest classroom discussions.
- Gender-Based Violence Teaching Toolkit (University of Windsor): developed to support teachers in Grade 8-12 classrooms in Ontario, corresponding to the curriculum expectations for Health and Physical Education, Social Sciences, and English courses.
Ready-to-Use Materials for Awareness Raising
- Healthy Schools Prom toolkit (WECHU): information on consent, the role of bystanders and how to make decisions to be safer.
- Draw the Line Campaign (The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres): Interactive Ontario campaign that challenges sexual violence myths, shows how to spot signs of sexual violence, and teaches bystanders how to safely and effectively intervene.