Sex assault stats could be a good thing: sociologist

An Ottawa sociologist says the fact that Ottawa has seen almost 6,000 reported sexual assault cases over the last 12 years is actually a good thing, as it suggests  more victims are coming forward in what is typically an “underreported” issue.

Isabelle Côté, a Social Sciences and Social Work professor at the University of Ottawa says Canada’s capital is full of resources geared to victims of sexual violence and the city’s services may be encouraging victims to report more crimes.

“In Ottawa, I know there is lots of programs, resources, so maybe it’s easier for victims to disclose, because they know there are people out there for them who can believe them, who they can trust,” Côté told Metro Thursday. “Obviously in places where there is more prevention, there is a decrease in sexual assault.”

Côté was quick to point out though that only about 10 per cent of attacks are reported.

She said the fact that Ottawa is a government town has no bearing on how prevalent sexual assault is in the city. In fact, she said cities full of highly successful residents typically lead to more victims remaining silent. Racism, social class and stereotypes around sexual assault play into whether a complainant is believed, she said.

“In reality, what we have seen is that women are victimized by colleagues, fathers, brothers, some of them are judges and lawyers, but we tend not to believe the victim as much if the perpetrator is a man that is wealthy in society.”