Canadian sex-assault survivors share #WhyIDidntReport stories amid U.S. scandal
TORONTO — Fresh debate surrounding a sexual assault allegation involving a U.S. lawmaker has spurred hundreds of Canadians to offer support to silent survivors by adding their names to trending online hashtags including #WhyIDidntReport and #BelieveSurvivors.
The wave of social media warriors included Ontario NDP member of provincial parliament Jill Andrew and former Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo, who each referenced the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport on Twitter in recent days to call attention to the reasons many assault victims don’t speak out.
“Because I was 7. Because he said he would cut my mother up, put her in a black plastic bag and put her body in a river,” Andrew tweeted from her account @JILLSLASTWORD.
“I didn’t report for the same reasons they don’t — someone you care for. How would the justice system help?” DiNovo tweeted from her verified account @CheriDiNovo.