The waiting list to victims of sexual assault lies

Photo By Prisca Benoit
Stéphanie Turcotte, Julie Beaupré, Marie-Josée Laflamme, Catherine Raty, Nadège Stephen and David Toubiana work in the body The Crossing, in Saint-Lambert. They would like to have more money to help the victims of sexual assault.

Prisca Benoit

Friday, December 8, 2017 01:00

UPDATE
Friday, December 8, 2017 01:00

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A support organization for victims of sexual assault, already overburdened, has been receiving more and more requests since the global wave of denunciations, without that its resources are increasing.

“It is 18 months of waiting in women and 10 months in children,” laments the director-general of The Crossing to Saint-Lambert, L. Philippe Angers.

The organization allows victims to receive free psychotherapy with a professional. They spend about a year with one of the six psychotherapists.

“If we could support the victims more quickly, it would help to avoid the deterioration of mental health “, believes the head of the psychological services of the organization, Stéphanie Turcotte.

The Crossing has received 27 000 $ million granted by Quebec to community organizations last October after the business of Harvey Weinstein, the United States, Gilbert Rozon and company. Even if it is well received, the assistance remains insufficient, according to the psychologist.

“With this amount, I can hire a psychologist to 10 hours per week for a year. Who is going to want to such a schedule ? It allows us to meet only six women for a year, ” says Ms. Turcotte.

Waiting list

For now, 75 women are still on the waiting list. The agency has not divulged the waiting list for children and adolescents. Since the first whistleblower, there has been almost two months, The Crossing receives each week from five to seven new applications.

“We feel that it is supported from one week to the other. If it keeps on like this for 52 weeks, we will have three times more applications than last year “, calculates Ms. Turcotte.

The situation is akin to the movement of “Assault non-denounced” in 2014, she remarks, so that the Crossing had also experienced a wave of additional requests. The organization also receives many more calls for advice and questions.

“It is directly linked to the wave of denunciations, is convinced Ms. Turcotte. We try to help as best as we can, even if it is not a listening centre. “

Need 400 000 $

The director-general seeks to raise $ 400,000 for the organization to respond appropriately to the request. With this sum, he would hire four additional employees.

Even if the movement of termination is a release, some victims may find it difficult to see each week the new cases of sexual assault, believes Ms. Turcotte.

“We hear a lot about income, but few of the crises that it provokes. Some tell us that they are downright écœurées to hear about it, as if it had the effect of reactivating their own injuries. “