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Photo Courtesy PACE
By Tanner Smith
Sexual Abuse

PACE Centre continuing efforts to reduce sexual assault

Dec 10, 2024 | 1:24 PM

Grande Prairie’s PACE Centre is making efforts to reduce sexual assault and violence rates in the Peace region.

Jackie Aitken, PACE Executive Director, says one of their strategies is to have public school programs educate youth and prevent the generational effects of sexual abuse.

“We’ve taken ‘Who do you tell,’ into Kindergarten to Grade 6 throughout the region, so if children are being approached inappropriately, they’re being taught to bring it forward and tell so that abuse does not go on.”

Programs are also running at local public high schools, as well as Northwestern Polytechnic; which is currently offering a crisis management certificate educating people about the effects of sexual abuse on people and our society.

PACE has also reached out and connected with local Indigenous communities, as 46 per cent of Indigenous women in Alberta experience sexual assault, compared to 33 per cent for non-indigenous women.

However, sexual assault is not just a single community issue, as 45 per cent of Albertans have experienced sexual violence, while only 6 per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police nationwide.

“I think in some ways Indigenous communities are open to taking in material, prevention (efforts), and creating healthy communities for their children. I think in some ways other communities are more in denial.”

Aitken says the only way to stop sexual abuse is by educating the public and having offenders stop targeting victims, as they need time to heal.

“Once the abuse has stopped, they may be a survivor, so they survived the physical part of the abuse. When we work with people, we get the privilege of watching them return to living, not just surviving, and living is when the event that hurt them, becomes part of their history.”

She added; “There is no shame in being a victim, but there should be shame in being an offender.”

Anyone wanting to learn more about sexual abuse, or the PACE Centre’s efforts in the region, can visit their website.

by Tanner Smith