The support for victims of sexual assaults in Alberta will hopefully be markedly improved through the use of a new best practices guide released by Alberta Justice and Solicitor General last week.
Providing police officers with up-to-date information about sexual violence, the guide represents an important and much-needed advancement in the care of victims.
The guide outlines investigative procedures that will “lead to more reliable evidence gathering, while respecting the effect that trauma can have on a survivor’s physical, psychological and emotional well-being,” said Kathleen Ganley, minister of justice and solicitor general.
“The decision to report sexual violence is deeply personal and can be extremely difficult,” said Ganley. “Only a fraction of sexual assaults come to the attention of the criminal justice system each year. We hope these guidelines will give more survivors confidence that they will be treated with dignity and respect if they decide to come forward to police.”
The guide also ensures survivors “receive appropriate followup support from victim service units and other sources of medical and emotional care, even if the survivor has decided not to pursue a criminal complaint,” she said.
Deb Tomlinson, CEO of the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, also called the new guide an important step forward.
“Myths and stereotypes about sexual assault prevent survivors from reporting to police,” said Tomlinson. “These guidelines will help to ensure that survivors who make the difficult decision to report will receive a fair, sensitive and compassionate first response.”
The manual was developed by the Sexual Violence Police Advisory Committee, a group formed by Alberta Justice and Solicitor General in 2015 to improve institutional responses to sexual violence.
While the process has taken three years to complete, from the results it appears to have been time well spent.
While all victims of crimes in Alberta deserve and need support, this new initiative is a good and worthwhile step forward in giving help to those specifically impacted by sexual assault.
- Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor
