A Survey of Survivors of Sexual Violence From Three Canadian Cities

2. Methodology

Working through three sexual assault centres in urban centres in three different provinces, a total of 128 interviews were conducted with survivors of sexual violence. Footnote 4 Fourteen participants were parents of a child under 18 who had been sexually abused, or of a vulnerable adult that had experienced sexual violence. These participants were removed from the sample in order to focus on the experiences of direct survivors. The experiences of these parents will be explored in a separate report. As such, the analyses below reflect interviews conducted with 114 survivors of sexual violence. The interviews were conducted by telephone in 2009.

The specific research questions that guided this study included:

  1. What were the experiences of sexual abuse and sexual assault as children and/or as adults?  To what extent did participants experience both types of sexual violence?
  2. What was the impact of the sexual assault/abuse on the participants? What kind of coping mechanisms did the participant employ? 
  3. What factors facilitated and/or impeded reporting to the police?
  4. What are the experiences of survivors with the criminal justice system in cases where they did report the sexual assault to the police?  What is the participant’s overall level of confidence with the criminal justice system?
  5. What are the main sources of information from which survivors learn about the criminal justice system?
  6. What are the main suggestions provided by the participants in terms of what survivors of sexual violence need to know about the criminal justice system and in terms of how the criminal justice system can better meet the needs of survivors of sexual violence?

The interview tool was a 76-item survey that included both categorical and open-ended questions. The survey consisted of questions relating to demographic information and experiences of childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault. The survey also included questions pertaining to the psychological effects of abuse, coping, reporting practices and experiences with, and confidence in, the criminal justice system. The survey was based on that used in Hattem’s (2000) study and was further developed by the Research and Statistics Division in collaboration with several sexual assault centres. 

The participating centres recruited participants in different ways. In two centres, the counsellors recruited clients of the centre. In the other centre, participants were recruited through the centre’s counsellors, community groups and newspaper advertisements. The interviews themselves were conducted by hired contractors who had experience interviewing vulnerable populations. Participants were reimbursed for child care and travel. Prior to the interviews, the participants were provided with information regarding the study, including information regarding the confidential nature of the survey. Follow-up counselling services were also offered by the centres where needed.

Many participants indicated that they appreciated the opportunity to talk about their experiences. Many hoped that their participation would help improve the criminal justice system for survivors, help survivors obtain the support they need and prevent others from being victimized.