An Ottawa woman is speaking out tonight about a recent sexual assault after a CTV Ottawa story yesterday on the dramatic increase in the number of cases here.
Now first responders are preparing for another possible spike in those numbers with Halloween falling on a Saturday. The Ottawa Hospital has seen a dramatic jump in the reported cases of sexual assault. Many of them have happened in large gatherings like those planned for this Saturday.
But there is a movement afoot to involve organizers of those events to ensure safety is the priority.
The Ottawa Hospital Sexual Assault Program reported 46 visits so far this month; nearly double the number from last year.
Behind those dramatic numbers are people like a woman in her 30’s who spoke to CTV Ottawa. Her identity is protected for safety and privacy reasons.
It was on a date, she says. She went to the hospital's Sexual Assault Program and then contacted police. Now, she's speaking to CTV in order to encourage other survivors to get help.
‘I felt the need to come forward and tell my story,’ she says, ‘to let others know that it's okay to come forward and get checked out at the hospital.’
A study published by the Ottawa Hospital found that 26% or nearly 1 in 4 sexual assaults occur in large gatherings. Given that, the hospital expects it may see more cases on Halloween.
The EY Centre is where one of the biggest events will be held tomorrow night. It is an event called
‘Scream’ and the room will be filled with 3000 screaming folks looking to have fun Halloween night.
Preparations are well underway not only to prepare the sound and lights but the staff, too, for potential overdoses or sexual assaults.
Ali Shafaee is with DNA Presents, the company that is organizing the event.
‘We never anticipate anything is going to happen,’ Shafaee says, ‘We just want to be proactive so that in case it did, we tried to put as many measure in place for it.’
Organizers have hired paramedics and police to monitor the party for things like fights and drugs. They have also teamed up with the hospital and the Coalition to End Violence Against Women to help volunteers and staff learn how to spot potential sexual violence as well.
‘Our events are only as good as the safety precautions we put in place,’ Shafaee adds.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service says those proactive measures are key to reducing some frightening numbers from last year's Halloween parties.
‘Last Halloween, paramedics treated 63 young adults for very significant issues,’ says Deanna Schofield with the Ottawa Paramedic Service, ‘they were either disoriented, unconscious or in seizure due to drugs and alcohol. That compares to only 24 year before.’
Paramedics say they will have extra staff on hand this weekend. But they're counting on people hearing and heeding their message before they start to party in the hopes those extra paramedics won't be busy.
