Manitoba girl, 9, was sexually assaulted in hotel while in province's care: lawsuit

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

Decades have gone by since a Winnipeg woman was in the care of Manitoba's Child and Family Services and housed in a hotel for a couple of weeks, but she says she still lives with the traumatic effects of what happened to her then.

She was nine years old in 1997, when she was temporarily placed in the care of West Region CFS while her mother received psychiatric care. She was housed in a downtown Winnipeg hotel for two weeks. 

It was there that she alleges she was sexually assaulted by a boy who was also in the care of CFS and housed in the same hotel room as her, according to a lawsuit she filed this month. 

"The sleeping arrangements were such that the plaintiff and the boy were to sleep alone, without supervision, in the hotel room, in separate twin beds," says the statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench Feb. 9.

On or about the second night of the placement, the boy sexually assaulted her, which included intercourse, the claim says.

The claim says following the assault, she refused to bathe until she was forcibly put into a shower by a CFS worker, who did not ask why she was refusing to bathe, or about her safety or well-being.

She was subsequently returned home to her mother and not provided with any counselling or treatment, the court document says. 

CBC is not naming the plaintiff because she is alleged to be a victim of sexual assault.

The woman is a member of Waywayseecappo First Nation, in western Manitoba. Her lawsuit names West Region Child and Family Services, the government of Manitoba and the director of Child and Family Services as defendants. 

The allegations have not been tested in court and the defendants have not yet filed statements of defence.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages for things like negligence, intentional infliction of mental distress, pain and suffering, loss of past and future income, cost of future care and treatment, and punitive and exemplary damages.

The woman, now in her 30s, was unable to file the lawsuit sooner because of the "fear, embarrassment and trauma that she suffered," the claim says. 

She continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, loss of dignity, and negative impacts on family and social relationships as a result of the sexual assault, the claim alleges.