Sexual assault in interpersonal relationships is an extremely prevalent form of violence and is a major issue in our community. When individuals experience relationship and/or sexual violence, it can result in trauma. Trauma results in physiological changes to the brain, and how individuals process information and how they behave. For some individuals, the trauma distorts how they see themselves and the world in fundamental ways.

The facts are alarming: victims often struggle to be heard and are forced to hide their trauma. In addition to this, there is lack of education around sexual violence and several barriers to accessing mental health services. The backlash against sexual assault movements, the lack of government supports, and a growing stigma around mental health ultimatley threatens a victim’s ability to seek help and compromises the safety of our entire community.

We have some amazing ideas about how we can continue improving our services in order to help survivors of sexual assault, but we need your support to turn these ideas into reality.