Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The "Criminal" in the Back of the Police Car - Why?

A young woman, slightly unkempt with tear stained cheeks is sitting in the back of a police cruiser, in the middle of the night. She is told that she will have to be transported to a community two hours away from her home and she bursts into tears again. "I am not the criminal here!"

Likely story you might say if you read the above without the context. In fact, she is not the criminal in this situation she is the victim, a victim of a sexual assault and because there are no specially trained personnel available to help her in her home community the trip is necessary.

As a woman I am disgusted. Imagine having been violated in such a violent way, sexually. This young woman is no doubt upset, she has bruising in very private places on her body, private places that she would only share in very intimate or medical situations.

These parts of her body are also filthy with the body fluids of the man that did this to her.

As a person who is involved at arms length with victims of sexual assault I can say that this type of situation is the norm!

There are many holes but this is where the story can begin.

Lynn