The Calgary Police Sex Crimes Unit is investigating more cases than ever before and investigators admit it could be partly due to the #MeToo movement.
READ MORE: Calgary council turns focus to #MeToo movement at strategic budget session
Statistics show more people are coming forward with allegations of both current and historical sexual abuse — some dating back 40 years.
The sex crimes unit specifically looks at the most serious of all sexual assault cases.
In the past year, there has been a 32 per cent jump in the number of cases it has investigated. In 2017, the unit looked at 391 cases, while in 2016 there were 296 cases.
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The number of charges laid by the unit has also nearly doubled over a year, up from 77 in 2016 to 143 in 2017.
Police believe the #MeToo movement could be partially responsible for the increased stats.
“The community is starting to talk about sexual violence,” CPS Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker said.
“It’s always been a taboo issue that really was never discussed, but I think now that we’re seeing so much media about it over the last year…people are feeling more comfortable. And it’s a community issue and they have that community support to come forward.”
Walker said it’s positive to see people having the courage to come forward.
“Sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, sexual assault — at the end of the day the community is now saying, ‘This is no longer tolerated. It doesn’t matter if you are a big-time actor or actress in Hollywood or an average citizen in the city.”
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