The Alberta government has released new guidelines for police to use in dealing with victims of sexual assault. The guidelines cover investigative procedures that will lead to more reliable evidence gathering. This will help to ensure that good strong cases are built to put before a court. But the guidelines also call for more respect and understanding the trauma suffered by those who report being victims of sexual abuse.
“The decision to report sexual violence is deeply personal and can be extremely difficult,” Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley told reporters during Friday’s news conference. “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 effect that trauma has on how victims report sexual violence is understood much better today,” says Roger Chaffin, chief constable for the Calgary Police Service. “We need to understand how to serve both the victim and the community in these situations. These guidelines will help in that regard.”
“We’re seeing a growing number of these kinds of cases being reported,” Stephanie McLean, the minister responsible for the status of women, told me.
“It’s all about ensuring that survivors who make the difficult decision to report such a crime will receive a far, sensitive, and compassionate first response,” added Deb Tomlinson, CEO of the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services.
The guidelines were developed in part by victims and by agencies which serve victims of violent sexual crimes. It’s hoped that police officers who are among the first responders to such calls will remember to display some empathy for what a victim is going through, even as the process of collecting evidence is undertaken. That empathy is seen as a key component to a victim’s decision to report such a crime in the first place, and to deal with the physical and emotional trauma that is happening at the time of the incident, and long before the case ever goes to court.
https://omny.fm/shows/alberta-morning-news/sexual-abuse-survivors
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