One in every three girls will experience sexual violence by the age of 18.
One in every six boys will encounter the same cruelty.
On Wednesday, March 7, the Government of Alberta announced an $8.1-million investment in the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS).
“This is a huge win. The win is for those who have been harmed, either directly or indirectly, by sexual violence,” expressed Cheryl Bujold, executive director of the Dragonfly Counselling and Support Centre.
What this means for the local centre, is their doors will remain open.
After a year of waiting to hear the news, the staff at the Dragonfly Centre is letting out a sigh of relief. Their programming has been supporting sexual violence survivors from across the Lakeland.
According to Bonnyville-Cold Lake MLA Scott Cyr, the centre has experienced a drastic increase over the last two years. The reality is, they have seen a 200 per cent jump in the number of people coming in and reporting being a survivor or sexual violence.
What many people may not realize, he said, is although the Dragonfly Centre is based in Bonnyville, it has satellite offices in St. Paul, Cold Lake, and Lac La Biche.
They also work with Fist Nations and Métis through their outreach services.
The financial support means they can continue to help survivors in and around those communities.
“We’re just so grateful and thankful to the Government of Alberta for recognizing that this is an important issue that needs to be addressed in our communities,” she emphasized. “This issue has been compared to an epidemic, and it needs to be addressed.”
It was clear there was a need in the community, when their 2012 pilot project took off.
In 2014, the Dragonfly Centre became an independent society, and one year later, a charity.
“Support from the Alberta government is essential in order to continue providing the free and confidential counselling services, and in addition, our educational services,” said Bujold.
All of the funding they will receive from the $6.225-million set aside by the province for Community and Social Services, will be used to increase the centre’s service delivery.
Not only will it help the Dragonfly Centre build on their community programming, but also their outreach.
“We live in a rural community. A lot of our residents experience barriers with transportation. We want to decrease those barriers and get those services out to people who need and want them,” continued Bujold.
When Cyr discussed the subject with the Dragonfly Centre in November 2017, they revealed shocking statistics in terms of where their clients are coming from.
“The Lakeland region has quite a wide spectrum when it comes to who is affected by this. Of those clients, about 29 per cent are in Bonnyville, 26 per cent are in Cold Lake, 17 in St. Paul, 19 in Lac La Biche, and nine per cent in Indigenous communities,” Cyr detailed. “You can see, there’s a clear need across all areas within the Lakeland.”
This issue, he added, is “affecting about 76,000 Albertans over the age of 15.”
That number is one of the reasons why the provincial government has put such an emphasis on supporting survivors of sexual assault through government funding and the creation of the #IBelieveYou campaign.
“I think that message needs to get out there. For those children, women, boys, and men who have been involved with sexual violence, you need to know that we want to hear you. We want to make sure that those who are doing this violence are put in prison, but mainly, we want to make sure you get the help you need,” Cyr stated.
By offering specialized services to those who have been harmed, connecting people to their programs, and teaching youth about body safety and healthy relationships, they’re hoping to put an end to sexual-related violence.
Bujold said the centre is “excited to continue working towards a region free of sexual violence.”
