News Heather was 15 years old when she was gang-raped. For more than 30 years, she lived with the shame and anger of her trauma until she finally decided to report it to the Kelowna RCMP when she was 48 years old. Her experience with the police, like so many others in Kelowna, appears to be a common story many survivors of sexual assault have encountered. That number is more than double the 15 per cent average across the province and dwarfs the under five per cent averages in Vancouver and Victoria.
The alarming statistic represents 35 victims in Kelowna who claimed they were sexually assaulted but were never able to find justice. Heather is one of those victims.
Feeling unheard, she decided to go up the chain of command. READ MORE: Former Kelowna social worker sued again for allegedly stealing from foster children Adding insult to injury, to this day, Heather said she is still seen as a slut by her classmates and feels betrayed by those she called her friends and classmates.
She even wrote a letter to them explaining the pain she felt when they looked the other way the day she needed them most. I did not deserve what those boys did to me, but more than that, I did not deserve what you all did to me after. At one point, during what she described as a very intimidating reporting process, Heather said she was asked whether or not she consented. How would I have consented? Novakowski said the Elizabeth Fry Society has been working with the RCMP for a couple of years on developing a trauma-informed practice, but says more work still needs to be done.
