According to a new report released by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, 1.8 million Albertans have experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime.
That’s almost one in two Albertans, the survey said.
“It is important to note that these survey findings are not a measure of how many incidents of sexual assault occur in Alberta,” the survey read. “These findings are a measure of how many individuals currently living in Alberta have experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime.”
While everyone responding to the survey was over the age of 18, they were asked to reveal whether they had suffered sexual abuse at any age.
About two in three females and one in three males reported experiencing sexual abuse.
Over three quarters of respondents reported experiencing at least one incident which involved physical contact.
Three out of four survivors of sexual abuse were under the age of 18 during at least one incident. Half of the survivors who experienced sexual abuse as a child also reported experiencing sexual abuse as an adult.
Experts say that could have lasting impacts.
“If you go to any mental health facility or addictions facility in Alberta, you’ll find the majority of people there have experienced child sexual abuse,” said Deb Tomlinson, the CEO of Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services.
“It truly is at the root of some of our most serious health and social issues.”
Forty-four per cent of women and 24 per cent of men reported being abused as children.
In most experiences of child sexual assault reported for the survey, depending on the type of abuse, the first incident occurred between the ages of six and 11 or 12 and 17. The abuse was committed by one male individual and the survivor knew the abuser, but the abuser lived outside the home.
Most respondents said the abuse didn’t continue over a long period of time. For those who suffered long-term abuse, the types of abuse were more aggressive, the report said.
Twenty-eight per cent of respondents were abused as adults.
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Ninety-two per cent of people said they suffered abuse considered criminal. The remaining eight per cent of survivors experienced sexual abuse that may not be considered a criminal offence.
The report didn’t expand on what kind of abuse that may be.
“While some acts considered in the survey may not be a criminal act under specific circumstances, this does not mean that they are any less wrong or traumatic for survivors.”
The provincial government will be working with sexual assault agencies to develop solutions. While there was no timeline provided on the consultation, the minister responsible said it would be a priority.
“There is a person right now being abused. There’s a child right now that’s being abused — that’s caught in the cycle of abuse. The timeline is about moving forward right now, which is what these associations are already doing,” Minister Leela Sharon Aheer said.
Of the people who reported sexual abuse as a child, 100 per cent reached the threshold of a crime.
The most common kind of abuse featuring physical contact was the perpetrator touching the private parts of a survivor’s body without consent. The most common type without physical contact was the assailant exposing their genitals to the survivor.
Females were more likely than men to have experienced physical contact sexual abuse, while males were more likely to have experienced non-contact abuse.
“There’s a lot that parents can do,” Tomlinson said. “They can talk to their children about child sexual abuse in an age appropriate way, they can teach them about consent, they can teach them the proper names for their body parts.”
Across males and females that suffered abuse as adults, 14 per cent reported being touched when they didn’t want to, 13 per cent reported being pressured into having sex and 13 per cent reported aggressive sexual advances.
As for groups more likely to have experienced sexual abuse, 77 per cent of people with diverse sexual orientations reported suffering abuse, compared to 66 per cent of people who are Indigenous and 49 per cent of people living with a disability.
The survey was conducted by a general population sample which included landlines, cellphones and random digit dialing.
Anyone who said they were interested in taking the survey was directly connected with Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence.
Less than one per cent of the sample identified as transgender or non binary. Due to the low number of completions of the survey, those results have been excluded from any analysis.
According to the survey, two out of three Albertans personally know a survivor of sexual abuse. While more than half of respondents agree that sexual abuse is a problem in their community, 40 per cent believe there are not enough supports for survivors.
If you live in Alberta and you have suffered sexual abuse, call Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence at 1-866-403-8000 to be connected with trained staff and volunteers. You can also chat online at aasas.ca.
–With files from Global News’ Breanna Karstens-Smith
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