Province-wide standards for sexual assault investigations coming to B.C.
CTV
British Columbia is bringing in province-wide standards for police conducting sexual assault investigations, recognizing that the vast majority of these crimes continue to go unreported.
British Columbia is bringing in province-wide standards for police conducting sexual assault investigations, recognizing that the vast majority of these crimes continue to go unreported.
At a news conference Monday, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equality Kelli Paddon began by saying only six per cent of victims choose to make a report to police and that the decision not to contact police is often due to fear of being blamed or doubted, a lack of faith that the system will deliver justice or accountability, and a reluctance to go through a process that will be re-victimizing and re-traumatizing.
These concerns are more acute for women who are already marginalized or have historically faced discrimination – the same women who are disproportionately vulnerable to sexualized violence, Paddon noted.
"I want to reinforce that survivors do not need to report to police if they do not wish to," Paddon said, but added that Monday's announcement is an attempt to make the experience of reporting more responsive to victims and to ensure accountability and oversight during investigations.
The province's policing standards, which are available online, have been updated to include a section on sexual assault investigations. First among the standards are a series of guidelines for how police must treat a victim when they first make a report – including a list of things that are not allowed to "diminish response."
Individual characteristics of victims – including race, gender identity, socio-economic status, and substance use – can not impact the response, nor can the amount of time since the assault took place, the jurisdiction in which it occurred, or whether it was perpetrated in the context of an intimate relationship.
The policing standards are set to come into effect in July of 2024.
