The Alberta Association of
Sexual Assault Centres
Working towards the eradication of sexual violence in Alberta
Sexual Assault Centres of Alberta
Fact Sheets
Women and Sexual Assault/Abuse
Children and Sexual Assault/Abuse
A Message to Albertans
Welcome to our web-site!
We hope that you will find the information you are looking for. If you or a loved one has been affected by sexual violence, our site provides direct links to free confidential information and services in Alberta.
Sexual assault/abuse is a crime of violence. It hurts in many ways. It hurts individuals, families and communities. It's important for all Albertans to know that healing and recovery from sexual assault/abuse is possible and that the sexual assault centres in Alberta provide a safe place for that healing to begin. Sexual assault centres are advocates for the survivors of this serious crime. And no matter who the offender is (by the way, most offenders are acquaintances or family members of the victim), the people who are effected by sexual violence (the victims and their loved ones) are never to blame!
Sexual violence is not an easy topic to talk about. It's an ugly issue. Most people want to think that sexual violence is somebody else's problem, but it's not. It's everybody's business. Survivors of sexual violence are boys and girls, women and men, young and old. They are our families, our neighbors - they are people we meet everyday in our communities. No one would argue that sexual violence is ugly. But unless we talk about it - unless we confront it directly - there will never be a chance of encouraging people who are survivors to come forward for help - of preventing it from happening in the first place. And if survivors don't talk about it - if they don't come forward for help, we have no way of holding offenders accountable and this puts the safety and integrity of our communities at risk.
How can you make sexual violence your business? What can you do to help? Support the prosecution of offenders to the fullest extent. Learn about the nature and extent of the issue of sexual violence. Challenge offensive behavior such as sexist language, bragging about sexual conquests or negative comments about either gender. Learn what 'consent' is and is not. Talk about and discuss the issue of sexual violence. Be open to hearing about the topic of sexual violence, and about other people's experiences of sexual violence. Tell survivors that there is help available. Tell them to log on to www.aasac.ca to find out where they can get free confidential support in Alberta. You can make a difference. Talk about it. It's your business.
It is important to AASAC that the information we are providing is useful to Albertans and out-of-province visitors. We welcome your feedback. Please click on "Visitor Survey" in the menu and let us know what you think of our site.
1What Can We Do To Prevent Sexual Assault? University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre
Copyright ©2005 All Rights Reserved Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres
Calgary Web Design Site Map