EDMONTON, AB – The provincial government is making an investment to support survivors of rural sexual violence.
The $1.2 million in funding will help bring new services like counselling, crisis response and outreach supports to rural communities in Alberta, where those types of supports are currently not available.
Minister of Community and Social Services Rajan Sawhney said that, “survivors of sexual violence deserve dignified and compassionate front-line service regardless of where they live in the province.”
“This funding will not only help ensure people in rural Alberta have access to these critical supports, but it will also offer hope of recovery for victims of abuse.”
More support for rural sexual violence survivors
Alberta’s government is investing $1.2 million to support survivors of sexual violence by expanding front-line supports provincewide to help more survivors access critical services.
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This funding will help bring new services like counselling, crisis response and outreach supports to rural parts of the province, where these supports are not currently available.
“Survivors of sexual violence deserve dignified and compassionate front-line service regardless of where they live in the province. This funding will not only help ensure people in rural Alberta have access to these critical supports, but it will also offer hope of recovery for victims of abuse.”
CALGARY In recognition of sexual violence awareness month in Alberta, three Calgary post-secondary institutions will be hosting consent workshops for students, staff and faculty members. The University of Calgary, Mount Royal University and Bow Valley College are offering the Rethinking Consent program in an effort to raise awareness to the issues of dating violence, domestic violence and sexual and gender-based violence. According to the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, 45 per cent of adults in Alberta say they have experienced some form of sexual abuse in their lifetime. On post-secondary campuses, prevalence rates of sexual and gender-based violence are concerning, said Bertsch in a statement released Monday. Sexual Violence Awareness Month is an opportunity to flip the conversation from messages of shame and blame, to messages that offer love, support and compassion.