Police ‘reaching out’ to Pamela Anderson

VICTORIA – The Mounties say they’re “reaching out” to Pamela Anderson after the British Columbia-born actress gave an emotional speech in France in which she recalled years of sexual abuse as a child.

Anderson, who is from Ladysmith, B.C., on Vancouver Island, spoke last Friday in Cannes at an event launching her charity, going into detail about sexual assaults she says she endured from a young age.

Cpl. Darren Lagan of the RCMP said the force is aware of Anderson’s speech.

“Given the nature of the allegations, an investigator with the Ladysmith RCMP is in the process of reaching out to Ms. Anderson to discuss this matter with her directly,” Lagan said in an emailed statement.

Lagan declined to comment further “out of respect for Ms. Anderson’s privacy.”

Anderson, who has previously talked about being a survivor of rape, was launching the Pamela Anderson Foundation, which is dedicated to boosting human rights, helping animals and caring for the environment.

Reading from a sheet of paper during the event, Anderson said she was molested by a female babysitter between the ages of six and 10.

She also said she was raped by a 25-year-old man when she was 12, and then by a group of boys, including her boyfriend, when she was in the ninth grade.

“My parents tried to keep me safe,” she said. “But to me the world was not a safe place.”

A spokeswoman for Anderson declined to comment when contacted Wednesday.