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Community support is amazing

At the Victor Walk in Cold Lake, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of support that came from the community. Sexual abuse in general isn’t an easy subject to discuss, and people are less likely to talk about it happening to children.

At the Victor Walk in Cold Lake, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of support that came from the community.


Sexual abuse in general isn’t an easy subject to discuss, and people are less likely to talk about it happening to children.


Refusing to talk about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, and only prevents someone from seeking the help they really need.


The stigma that surrounds survivors is far-reaching, and very damaging to those suffering the most.


Reaching out and telling their story is one of the hardest things a victim can do, and its people like Theo Fleury that make it that much easier for someone struggling to find their voice.


Knowing that they aren’t alone is a powerful piece of knowledge, and it can be life changing to hear a simple phrase that’s taken the world by storm: me too.


The Me Too movement began in October 2017 as a social media campaign meant to raise awareness for sexual harassment and abuse on a global scale, and helped people really see the magnitude of problem.


Something as simply hearing someone say ‘me too’, or seeing a group of supporters walking through the community can alter someone’s life for the better.


Attending the Victor Walk in Cold Lake made it clear to me that the community isn’t shying away from the hard subjects, and that there are resources for people struggling.


In university, I wrote my honours thesis on media representations of abusive relationships.


I focused on how abusers and victims were portrayed, and what these storylines said about the way society views people who experience abuse from a partner.


What I learned was the fear of being revictimized keeps people from asking for help, and being blamed for something that wasn’t their fault.


Like Fleury said at the rally after the Victor Walk, all you have to do is listen and be there for the person asking for help.


I hope all communities are as open as the Lakeland has shown itself to be, and that everyone suffering feels that support whenever they’re ready to reach out.




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