Sexual abuse survivors are wearing orange to show support for those affected by trauma and letting them know they are not alone.
The Victor Walk is a national movement aimed at getting people to stand up and tell their story of childhood sexual abuse and rape.
Prince George resident Jim Wood is a survivor of sexual abuse and knows how important it is to be an advocate.
“I learned to live with fear. I learned the only reason I existed was to make other people happy. I lived a very anxious life. I was always ready to run or fight. Now I’m an adult and I’ve learned coping skills through counseling and doing my own healing work and it has helped me be a better person and I choose to be an advocate.”
Wood would like to see more support go towards places like the Sexual Assault Centre so they can help the over eight-million Canadians that are victims.
This is something Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Centre in PG, Kama Sills wants the government to focus on.
“That growing awareness needs to be there so we can continue our services. One of our programs, particularly for teens and men, there is very little funding and we can only provide the services we have through gaming funding because there is no specific ministry that provides for those target areas.”
Stas show one in two girls and one in three boys falls victim to unwanted sexual advances before the age of 18. Sills adds these numbers are just the reported statistics, which means the numbers could be higher.
Residents in Prince George are joining together and wearing orange to give courage to those affected by trauma of childhood sexual abuse. The #Victorwalk is a national movement spearheaded by @TheoFleury14 to show that people aren’t alone | @mypgnow #CityofPG pic.twitter.com/IjubZWvMtA
— Jeff Slack (@Jeffslack369) July 21, 2018