In October of 2023, a member of the Chinook High School football team was sexually assaulted by four of his teammates. Despite a plethora of evidence and witnesses, the four were released on a peace bond with charges being dropped just a month before their trial was set to take place earlier this fall.

To the average person their release may be shocking, but for experts such as Corinne Ofstie, the co-CEO of the Association of Alberta Assault Services, this case not making it to trial was much less of a surprise. 

“Of all sexual assaults in Canada, there is a 0.03 conviction rate. So only in 0.3 per cent of sexual assaults is someone ever held accountable by our criminal legal system,” stated Ofstie. 

With conviction rates being so low, many victims make the decision not to report their assault to the police. Ofstie shared that research shows sexual assault is the most under-reported violent crime in Canada. According to study published to Statistics Canada on Oct. 26, 2014, less than 10 per cent of sexual assaults are reported to the police.

Of the instances that are reported, only about two per cent of them will result in a conviction. This is not always due to a verdict and is often the result of a victim dropping charges themselves. This attrition is due to many factors victims face throughout the criminal justice process. The process of building a case and facing their abuser in court can be extremely traumatic for survivors. 

Alberta’s sexual assault centres and associated support services seek to help victims through both the justice system and their personal recoveries. These centres, such as Lethbridge’s Chinook Sexual Assault Centre, offer critical support for survivors through counselling, crisis support, court support and education. Ofstie shared that the help of these centres can lead to an increase in reports and a higher probability of a case reaching trial. 

“Research and service outcomes show that with specialized support, the outcomes for survivors and victims of this very unique and distinct crime are much better in terms of their personal satisfaction with the criminal legal response. Statistics show that with specialized support, they’re more likely to consider their options for seeking justice and more likely to sustain their participation throughout that process,” said Ofstie.

With sexual assault centres being such a crucial support for survivors, it would be expected they would receive ample funding, however that is often not the case. The Alberta Victims of Crime Act outlines funding for specialized support like assault centres, yet Ofstie shared some restrictions within the legislation lead to centres not being able to take on enough staff to serve their community properly. 

“They do receive funding through the Government of Alberta and victim services to be able to provide that support but because of the legislation for those victim of crimes funds in Alberta. It says that an agency can only resource two people to provide that service. So that means only two people to provide that service for all of Lethbridge, so that’s probably not enough resources,” stated Ofstie. 

The underfunding of sexual assault centres was recognized by the Alberta government in April of 2024 when they committed $10 million in support over 10 years for sexual assault centres. The campaign has not yet gone into effect as the government is still finalizing it’s strategy. 

Sexual assault centres hope this funding will help put them ahead in their fight against gender-based violence. More information on how these centres help survivors and information on how to get support is available at aasas.ca.