KAWARTHA LAKES-City of Kawartha Lakes Police say they have seen a marked increase in reports of sexual assault recently. The number are up almost 30% from just 35 reports at this time last year to 43, year to date in 2017.
Following the Harvey Weintsein investigations in the United States the Montreal Police service says it saw an uptick in the number of reports of sexaul assault. They set up a dedicated phone line for victims and have assigned more detectives to answer the calls. Kawartha Lakes Police aren’t sure what’s behind the surge in calls locally. “I have nothing that would directly attribute to the Weinstein/Spacey case.” Sgt. Tom Hickey told Kawartha 411. “Actually, we don’t know why there has been an increase but it could be related to a number of factors or it could be that there has not actually been an increase just an increase in those that have been reported. We would really have no way of knowing.”
Weinstein was a well known, successful Hollywood producer. In October 2017, following numerous allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape against him, Weinstein was fired by his company’s board of directors and expelled from the Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The scandal triggered a wave of similar allegations against other powerful men around the world, called the “Weinstein Effect”.
Reports of domestic violence are also on the rise in Kawartha Lakes. Police say they recieved 326 reports at this time last year versus 360 for the same time frame this year.
Haliburton Kawartha Victim Services is also seeing a dramatic rise in the numbers. “Unfortunately over the last year we have seen a significant increase in individuals coming forward and seeking support in relation to Sexual Assaults.” Laura Proctor, HK Victim Services told Kawartha 411. “I would not relate this to Weinstein or those allegations, however we did see an increase in Sexual Assault reports after other high profile Canadian cases within the media, which caused triggers for survivors to reach out and get supports in place.”
Women’s Resources says their numbers remain pretty steady and they haven’t seen an increase in women coming forward in the wake of the Weinstein investigation.
Kawartha Lakes Police say whatever the reason, they want women to feel comfortable coming forward and have the resources in place to ensure victims can come forward when the time is right for them. “We recognize that coming forward can be a difficult and sometimes distressing time for the victim. Our officers are trained to deal with this in a caring and compassionate manner. We encourage anyone who has been a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault to come forward when they feel the time is right for them and we will do our best to support them through the process.”
If you the victim of domestic or sexual violence go to https://womensresources.ca for more information.
If you are in crisis, please contact the woman abuse 24 hour Crisis Support Line at 1-800-565-5350
Or contact Victim Services at http://www.victim-services.org
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