Aden Withers still has a hard time talking about the trauma she’s been through since reporting a sexual assault to the Kelowna RCMP seven years ago.
In 2012, when she was 17, Withers said she found herself in an interview room with an RCMP officer who asked her if she was “turned on” by the attack.
Instead of believing her, the indigenous woman said the officer threatened her with indicting mischief unless she joined a justice restoration program.
“In my restorative judiciary, I had to write apology letters to the adult who sexually abused me, to the social worker and to [the officer in charge of the investigation],” She said.
“I had to write them apologies for being sexually assaulted.”
In June she commenced a civil lawsuit against the RCMP officer who interrogated her with the Attorney General of Canada and the Attorney General of British Columbia.
Speak publicly
This spring, Withers, whose real name is Alicia Withers, spoke anonymously to CBC News about how she was questioned, but now she’s sharing her story publicly to draw attention to how police are handling reports of sexual assault.
On Saturday, she organized a protest outside the Kelowna RCMP division.
“I identified myself because I wanted to give the victims a voice and I want the people in the community to see that they are actually members of the community and not just a statistic,” she said.
“I think it’s important to give the survivors a face.”
Withers said she and other activists wanted to raise awareness of the high number of reports of sexual assault that Kelowna investigators have rejected.
Statistics Canada’s 2017 and 2018 figures show that the rates of sexual assault classified as “unfounded” by the Kelowna RCMP were 42 and 40 percent, respectively.
That compares to a provincial average of around 15 percent and a national average of 14 percent over the same period.
calls for an independent investigation
Kelowna RCMP Spokesperson Cpl. Meghan Foster said “a review of what contributed to these statistics is ongoing”.
That’s not good enough Withers, who said she and other activists want an outside agency to investigate how the Kelowna RCMP is responding to reports of sexual assault.
Foster did not respond to CBC News on Wither’s requests, but referred it to the RCMP national headquarters in Ottawa.
