Sexual Violence Awareness Week: Champions for Children

May 17-21, 2021 is Sexual Violence Awareness Week. This year’s theme will be “Champions for Children”, focusing on creating a culture of belief around child sexual abuse in Saskatchewan. The primary audience this year will be Community Caregivers. Community Caregivers are individuals from the community who care for children outside of the household, such as neighbours, family friends, day-care workers, teachers, coaches, etc. As COVID-19 has taken away many usual maltreatment disclosure spaces for children, supporting all extended community members to respond appropriately to sexual abuse disclosures is equally as important as supporting caregivers and service providers to respond appropriately. 

The key messages of the campaign will focus on:

• Educating community caregivers on the realities of child sexual abuse (shifting cultural attitudes/beliefs)
• Raising awareness for the signs and behaviours of child sexual abuse
• Empowering community caregivers to create a safe space for children to disclose abuse
• Encouraging community caregivers to initiate conversations about what it means to create a culture of belief

Children are more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone that they know, leaving many factors at play for why they may not disclose their assault, including the fear of not being believed. For more information on how to respond appropriately to children disclosing abuse, please visit our disclosure brief and poster resources. 

To show your support for Sexual Violence Awareness Week, share your voice on social media to help foster a culture of belief around child sexual abuse while using the hashtags #SVAW2021 and #championsforchildren.