Sexual assaults by strangers up significantly in Vancouver, police say of 'very concerning' trend
Police in Vancouver are advising the public to be wary as the city experiences an alarming increase in sexual assaults.
There was a 129 per cent increase in reports of sexual assaults by strangers last month, when compared to the reports filed pre-pandemic, in July 2019.
Many of those cases have been in the downtown core, the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
"In particular, there has been a 167 per cent increase in sexual assaults related to the Granville Entertainment District when compared to the three year average for the month of July," Const. Tania Visintin said in the statement.
"This is obviously very concerning."
Visintin said there have been eight incidents reported in the entertainment district since July 1, ranging from unwanted touching or groping to forced sexual intercourse.
In total, there were 16 stranger sex assaults reported in the city last month, compared to 10 in the same month last year, and seven in July 2019.
And the VPD said the total may actually be higher.
"We know that offences against a person, specifically sexual offences, are vastly underreported," Visintin said.
"Our officers are very alive to the sensitivity around these types of files and will do anything they can to uphold the integrity of the survivor."
Women’s advocates say they’re also seeing a spike in sex assaults this summer.
“Survivors talk about being followed, being accosted on the street, as well as being touched,” said Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS).
In response to the uptick, The Vancouver-based group has launched outreach teams on the streets of four Vancouver neighbourhoods, including the Granville strip.
“(The teams are there) so that survivors and victims know there is a resource available on the spot in the moment, to be able to take action and help anybody get to safety,” said MacDougall.
Meanwhile, the City of Vancouver hopes to gauge the areas of the city where people feel most vulnerable to sexualized violence. Vancouver is one of six Canadian cities participating in the UN Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Initiative. It's a global program led by UN Women, aiming to address gender-based violence and harassment through city policies. City staff hope residents will fill out a short online survey about what corners of Vancouver are of the most concern.
Those spaces could be “parks, streets, school grounds, or even virtual spaces,” said Sonmin Bong, social planner for the City of Vancouver.
Participants have until the end of September to complete the survey, which can be done anonymously. Responses will help inform existing and future policies, programs and services to create safer public spaces citywide.
“(The goal is) to look at what the city needs to prioritize to address this massive systemic and cultural issue of gender-based sexualized violence and harassment,” Bong said.
Police ask anyone who has been sexually assaulted or witnesses such an assault to call 911 or the non-emergency line.
Additionally, the VPD is re-launching its "Hands off" campaign on social media. The initiative originally launched in 2019 is meant to bring awareness to what counts as unwanted sexual touching, instructing would-be offenders that these acts are considered crimes.
The online graphic features a design police say is meant to portray both breasts and a bottom. The copy reads, "Groping = sex assault.
"A sexual assault is any sexual contact you make without consent."
It features the social media hashtags "handsoff" and "gropetojail."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'