Sexual assault is on the rise.
"It's actual increasing 20 per cent year over year, and less than 10 per cent are actually reported," said Linda Soulliere, Executive Director of the Chatham-Kent Sexual Assault Crisis Centre (CKSACC). "And yet we still have, in Canada, over 35,000 cases, and that's only 10 per cent."
May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Soulliere said the CKSACC is working to raise awareness.
"We're trying to get people committed to becoming good allies in this, and for trans people and non-binary people who are affected at a disproportionately high rate," she said.
The CKSACC is hosting a number of events this month, including a flag raising at the Civic Centre in Chatham on Tuesday, April 30 at noon, followed by a light lunch at their offices on Riverview Drive.
There is also a self-defence workshop for women on May 11th at the WISH Centre.
"You learn how to get out of zip ties, how to get out of a trunk of a car, how to defend yourself enough to get away," said Soulliere.
The workshop is free, but you must register in advance by calling the CKSACC, or online at https://cksacc.org/.
The CKSACC will also have displays at the Seniors Fair in Tilbury on May 9, and at the Chatham Campus of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance on May 23 and 30.