Raise awareness about sexual abuse
May 14, 2024
Global Korean Post
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Everyone in Canada deserve to be safe and free from violence. May is Sexual Violence Prevention Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about sexual abuse and support people experiencing sexual violence in this country.
Approximately one in three women and one in 10 men in Canada experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Over 50% of women who were abused during childhood reported being sexually assaulted at some point again after age 15. Sexual violence disproportionately affects minorities group including Indigenous women and girls, people with disabilities, black women and individuals from 2SLGBTQI+ communities, particularly youth aged 15-24. These groups often have access to fewer resources and encounter more barriers to getting help.
Sexual violence includes any type of sexual activity without consent. Consent must be clearly given and can be taken back at any moment. Even if you are in a serious relationship, married, engaged, and regardless of the nature of your relationship, your partner cannot require you to have sex. Likewise, being high or drunk is never a defence for committing crimes, including sexual assault.
Sexual violence can have severe physical and mental health impacts that have long-lasting consequences. The Government of Canada is committed to preventing and addressing the underlying causes of sexual violence in all its forms, supporting survivors and organizations dealing with sexual violence and abuse.
The Public Health Agency of Canada supports programs and interventions to help prevent family and gender-based violence, as well as its impacts on health. This includes advancing initiatives to prevent child maltreatment and youth dating violence, and those initiatives that equip health professionals to respond to gender-based violence.
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual violence, we urge you to visit Support services for those affected by gender-based violence or family violence resources, crisis lines and services in your area. Free mental health and substance use supports are also available.
