This year, for International Women's Day, I am running to raise much-needed funds to End Sexual Violence.
Between the ages of 17 and 24, I was sexually assaulted numerous times, and suffered in silence for over a decade. The times I said no, and they kept going. The time a cab driver grabbed me and asked me how much I cost. The times when I would pretend to sleep. The times I will likely never remember. The time when multiple perpetrators were involved; my most traumatizing experience. I suffered in silence for over a decade. I drank it away, I slept it away, I tried so hard to just get over it, but it was always there haunting me and effecting every aspect of my life.
Everything changed when a friend, whom I love deeply, chose to confide in me and share her story. After that, I vowed that I would no longer stay silent. I would not let her, or other women and girls, carry this heavy weight alone.
I started STAND ASA to build a community of support for survivors, so no survivor has to stand alone. 2 in 3 women in Alberta will experience sexual violence in their life. Whether you know it or not, someone you know has experienced sexual violence.
Change starts with us.
Together, we can end victim blaming and eliminate the stigma surrounding sexual violence.
