Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, thank you for this invitation to provide you with our testimony.
Before I begin my presentation, I would like to acknowledge that the territory I am on is traditional, unceded First Nations territory. I am grateful for that.
The organization I am representing today brings together 26 sexual assault help centres. These centres are located in every corner of the province of Quebec. Our organization was founded in 1979. For 43 years, therefore, our centres have been providing the province with expertise in responding to and preventing sexual violence and in standing up for the rights of women.
To start my presentation, I would like to remind you that 86.3% of victims know their abusers and that 70% of sexual assaults take place in a private residence. The depictions often shown in movies and the media, in which sexual assaults take place when a woman is attacked by a stranger when she is walking alone outdoors, are not at all the norm.
In fact, in most cases, sexual violence takes place in a family unit, in romantic relationships, or with former intimate partners. It is therefore essential, if we want to tackle the problem of sexual violence, to consider the gender-specific nature of this violence. We know that 94% of the perpetrators are men. We also know that the violence happens primarily within a family or within intimate relationships.
For victory over that violence, in our view, it is important to emphasize prevention with the students and staff in high schools, and to combat the obstacles to reporting sexual violence.
Our expertise in prevention has shown us that one of the most effective strategies is to work with young people. Since 2014, when we joined forces with some researchers, we have been offering a series of workshops in high schools, for students, their parents and the school staff.
We already provide classroom workshops for students to address matters like the importance of free and informed consent. We provide training to both teaching staff and non-teaching staff to address myths and false assumptions, such as that rape is the only type of sexual assault. We also provide online videos for parents. We feel that both parents and school staff must know how to identify these kinds of situations and, above all, how to intervene in situations where they suspect or witness assault of a sexual nature.
According to our observations, the second problem that absolutely must be tackled involves the obstacles to reporting sexual violence. Let's talk about that. The most common obstacle is that victim is afraid. If she reports her abuser, it becomes her word against his. She is afraid that no one will believe her and that making the report will change nothing. In fact, it is important for the entire country to receive the clear message that victims will be believed and that they can trust their governments if they decide to break their silence.
It is a myth that it is very probable and very frequent for a woman to accuse her abuser falsely. Our estimate is that victims actually make false accusations in only 2% of the cases. The risk of situations of that kind is greatly overestimated and should not guide or determine each victim's path through the Canadian legal system.
Another obstacle to reporting affects the victims whose immigration status is uncertain. They are afraid that, if they file a complaint, the police will check their status and report them to the border authorities, with the result that they will then be expelled from Canada. That is the case for migrant women, but it is also the case for women who have been sponsored by their spouse and who are therefore afraid of being expelled from Canada if they report the violence they suffer in their home.
In Quebec at least, we are seeing some weakness in the measure that prohibits police from inquiring into the immigration status of victims who come to report the violence they have suffered. All women should have the right of protection against sexual violence in Canada, regardless of their immigration status, their past, their age or their sexual orientation.
That ends my presentation. Thank you.