Sexual Assault Awareness Week kicks off in Prince Albert
The majority of all sexual assaults are never reported, a statistic that local advocates are hoping to change as the province and City of Prince Albert proclaim this week Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
The Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit and Rise UP Community Development Inc. held a joint event Monday at the kick off to Sexual Assault Awareness Week, which runs May 13-18. Events in Prince Albert this week include a self-defence skills class, a screening of the documentary Swift Current, and a walk from Prince Albert to Saskatoon Saturday morning to raise abuse awareness.
Jerri Frantik, a sexual assault counsellor with Prince Albert Mobile Crisis, said many assaults go unreported. According to Fantik, just 52 sexual assaults were reported in Prince Albert in the one year between December 2016 and December 2017.
“People in Prince Albert don’t report sexual assaults or sexual violence,” Frantik told paNOW. “We’re hoping that by talking about it, that we’ll be able to allow them to feel safer and come forward.”