Lethbridge-based sexual violence groups push province for more funding

The Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) says 43 per cent of Albertans have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.

Lethbridge organizations that provide services for survivors of sexual assault are urging the public to call on the provincial government for an increase in funding.

According to a prevalence study conducted by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) in 2020, 43 per cent of Albertans have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.

That translates to about 1.8 million people.

Advocates for survivors of sexual violence say wait times for trauma counselling are the worst they've ever experienced in Alberta.

If you live in Lethbridge, you could be waiting up to five months to get counselling.

In other some parts of the province, that wait could be upwards of 18 months.

Experts say it can take many survivors months to come forward and a lengthy wait to get assistance can be extremely dangerous to their physical and mental health.

In May of 2022, AASAS reached out to the provincial government on behalf of 15 sexual assault services across Alberta, looking for an increase in funding.

The organization was hoping the money could be used to help to reduce counselling wait times and provide access to justice and prevention programs.

They asked for $14 million, but the province’s response was nowhere near what they hoped for.  

"We heard back from them three weeks ago," said Lisa Lewis, the director of ounselling, outreach and education for Lethbridge family Services.

"They came back with a quarter of that cost to provide one time counselling for one year only."

The proposed provincial funding does not include any justice or prevention assistance.

The Government of Alberta sent out a statement in regards to the AASAS request, saying it is "committed to combatting sexual violence and ensuring proper care is available to victims."

"Following Budget 2020, we increased budgets for Sexual Assault Centres over three years, bringing our ministry’s Sexual Violence Prevention funding to $13.8 million in 2022/23. Overall government provides over $17 million across four ministries," Lisa Shankaruk, director of Alberta Community and Social Services, wrote.

She says the government will review the proposal from AASAS over the "coming months." 

Lethbridge's Chinook Sexual Assault Centre (CSAC) is one of many organizations calling for action. 

CEO Kristine Cassie says they're asking Albertans to write letter, contact their MLAs and ask for the province to invest in sexual violence services across Alberta.

"These crises aren't going to go away, we need to deal with them," said the CSAC’s CEO, Kristine Cassie. "Giving a voice to those that sometimes feel like they don't have a voice is really important."

For more information how you can help, you can visit the AASAS website.