Amber Stewart of BASAC, right, joins Battleford Deputy Mayor Kevin Russell, left, and the town’s Public Safety Officer Ross MacAngus, centre, for the flag-raising ceremony to recognize Sexual Violence Awareness Week in the Battlefords. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Week of activities

Sexual Violence Awareness Week recognized in the Battlefords

May 13, 2024 | 5:00 PM

The Battlefords Area Sexual Assault Centre (BASAC) aims to get people talking about a sensitive topic during Sexual Violence Awareness Week in the Battlefords.

A number of community events are planned during the week, running from May 13 to 16, to engage the public on a range of issues.

BASAC executive director Amber Stewart noted people may not realize how much sexual violence impacts the community.

“One in three girls and one in six boys will be a victim of sexual violence before they turn 18,” she said. “That’s an alarming number. The stats for reporting are low, the stats for convictions are low. If you think about it, everybody that lives in the Battlefords knows somebody who has needed or will need our services.”

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Flags were raised today at North Battleford City Hall and at the Town Hall in Battleford to mark the week.

Battleford Deputy Mayor Kevin Russell said the issue is important to the community.

“It’s on everybody’s mind,” he said. “It’s something we as a town support. I’m glad we can help out and stand behind it.”

Russell added that he and Mayor Ames Leslie plan to walk in their red high heels on Thursday for the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event during the week.

Stewart noted that BASAC is an important organization in the community to support survivors of sexual violence.

“We are a stand-along sexual assault centre,” she said. “We’re specialized. We’re the only ones in the community that do the work that we do. So, we really appreciate the town recognizing this week, and supporting BASAC in the work that we do. We’ve been in the community for 44 years, and we are still facing some of the same challenges they [people] were facing 44 years ago. So, talking about sexual violence is the way we are going to address sexual violence.”

On Tuesday, BASAC plans a “Consent in a Tent” talk at 12 p.m. at Library Park, focused on helping parents better protect their children from some of the dangers of using the social media.

“Parents need to be aware of what the apps are that their kids are using,” Stewart said. “Some apps look harmless, and they’re not. I think parents also need to know how to look at those apps, and understand it is not the child’s phone. You’re the parent, you pay the bill, you own the phone and you should be looking at it. You should be looking at what your kids are posting. You should be going and looking at what people are sending them.”

She added that a lot of apps have hidden features that parents should be aware of also, so it’s important they take the time to find out, to help protect their children from harm.

On Wednesday, starting at 12 p.m. at North Battleford Library Park, BASAC is inviting the community to come together for an awareness walk in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). The event travels along 13 Avenue to 100 Street. Then, down 100 Street to 19 Avenue. Then, it goes back down 100 Street to 13 Avenue, and returns to Library Park.

The week wraps up with the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event, starting from the Blend Restaurant in North Battleford at 5 p.m., Thursday.

The ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ event is an international men’s march against rape, sexual assault and gender-based violence.

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @battlefordsNOW