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Caucasian Female

You don’t look that up in the midst of emotional chaos

You can go through the SANE program, and they will not go to the police right away. You have up to six months or maybe longer where they will store that evidence to give you time. So, I think that should be shared when somebody discloses or reports: "Here are your options" because you just don't look that up when you are in the midst of emotional chaos. In hindsight, I wish someone had said, "here's SANE; you can do this." I wish someone had really strongly forced me in that direction and said that once that is done, you can walk away and take whatever time you need to decide.

Recommendations

  • Use open-ended questions and collaborative communication when supporting a victim/survivor.

  • Use approaches that are trauma informed and survivor-centred.

  • Ensure all sexual violence prevention and response education and training opportunities actively deconstruct victim-blaming, rape myths and gender norms. Ensure these sessions take an intersectional approach to understanding sexual violence and supporting victim/survivors.