It is about continuing the conversation.
That was what Peace River – Westlock MP Arnold Viersen told the Barrhead Leader following the Feb. 5 screening of the sexual abuse documentary Swift Current on Parliament Hill. The event, co-sponsored by Viersen and members of the Liberal Party, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green Party, drew a crowd of 400 and included Great Big Sea’s Sean McCann and former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy as guest speakers.
“The whole point of the night was to bring more attention to child sexual abuse and we had a full room. Twenty years ago, we’d have emptied it instead. It’s a dark subject and not one anyone really wants to discuss, but we’re making progress,” Viersen said, adding in addition to members of the public, ambassadors, senators and other MPs were also in attendance.
McCann and Kennedy are both victims of abuse themselves.
“Sean [McCann] shared some of his experiences and the documentary we showed is actually all about Sheldon’s story. Sheldon has been an advocate for the last 20 years and speaks on this issue all across the country. We just felt it was time to have discussions on Parliament Hill as well,” Viersen said, adding the statistics on abuse are sobering.
“One in three girls and one in five boys experiences or has experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime. That means millions of Canadians. Sheldon runs an advocacy centre in Calgary and it has investigated 7,000 cases alone.”
In each case, he said, a bystander who knew something was wrong, either did not know what to do or failed to act at all.
The issue is one that Viersen is familiar with.
Back in March 2016, he championed a private members bill, M-47, which aimed at bringing to light the effects of online sexual violence on children.
“It was through my private members bill that I gained the contacts and the network, in order to be able to pull an event like this off. We’ve been working on preventing children from inadvertently gaining access to pornography but you have to remember, there is the use of pornography in grooming children who are then, eventually, abused themselves.”
Viersen said Kennedy was more than happy to show his documentary in Ottawa.
“We had 400 people in the room and a great discussion panel afterwards,” he said, adding the next step is not necessarily a governmental one.
“I think its more a Canadian-culture issue. It really falls to each one of us as individuals to prevent this type of abuse, whether its in our own lives or being able to identify it in others, and also, knowing what to do with that information.”
“A lot of people might not know what to do. The one thing you can do, particularly in the instance of a child — if you suspect sexual abuse and you don’t know who to call, call 911. If nothing else, there’s a record of the fact you made someone aware of the issue. Just that record is enough.”
Viersen said it is important to note that not everyone is a predator.
“If one in three girls and one in five boys experience sexual abuse in their lives, it doesn’t mean the same percentage of the population are predators. In fact, many times over, its one predator with sometimes hundreds of victims.”
Moving forward, Viersen said it is important to keep raising awareness.
“One of the more interesting things drawn from last night was the last question asked of the panel – Are we there yet? The short answer is no. Sexual abuse happens in this country. Fortunately, the discussion is starting to happen and people are starting to recognize this is a real thing.”
