Battered Women’s Support Services poster illustrates sexual assault stat
Posted November 18, 2019 10:38 pm.
Last Updated November 19, 2019 12:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A picture is worth a 1,000 words, but this poster represents silence.
You might notice some new ads in downtown Vancouver, but not the kind you’re used to.
A poster representing a statistic about sexual assault in Canada sits in the window of the Battered Women’s Support Services office.
The poster shows one woman’s face followed by 19 silhouettes.
The poster is to represent how the one in 20 women who report non spousal sexual assault to the police, numbers which are reflected from Statistics Canada.
“Behind every woman who reports a non-spousal sexual assault are nineteen women who don’t,” BWSS says.
More of these posters will be placed in high traffic areas throughout the downtown core.
“We are very close to the entertainment district in Vancouver, which has the highest reports of this kind of sexual violence in the city,” Angela Marie Macdougall from the BWSS says.
According to Statistics Canada, individuals who have experienced a sexual assault often have a low level of trust in local police officers, compared to those who have not.
Sexual assault experiences can affect both women and men’s ability to feel safe in various situations.
Often, sexual assault offenders are a friend, acquaintance or neighbour, rather than a total stranger.
The posters are also up to remind people where and how they can access support services in Vancouver.
