Providing services for survivors in the region
The South East Sexual Assault Centre (SESAC) opened its doors in Moncton in 2017. SESAC, a primarily volunteer-run organization, provided support and services to over 150 survivors in the region in its first year of operation. All of their services come from a feminist, survivor-centred, trauma-informed approach.
SESAC’s services fall into three categories: support, community development and advocacy.
Within in the support category, SESAC provides three main services. They offer a confidential sexual assault support telephone line. This line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be reached at 1-844-853-0811. They also offer to accompany survivors to various appointments and services. This includes seeing a sexual assault nurse examiner, reporting an assault to the police, or navigating the court system. Alongside these services, they also offer both short- and long-term individual counselling and referral services for survivors of sexual violence.
The second category, community development, is also divided into three branches. The first community development service is youth sexual violence prevention programs. These school-based workshops present age-appropriate information about topics such as consent and healthy relationships. SESAC also facilitates education and awareness for the general public through workshops, presentations, seminars and the production of resource materials. Along with its community partners, SESAC also develops events and activities that aim to address the issues and needs of the region.
Advocacy, the final category of services, relies upon the involvement of SESAC’s volunteers. These volunteers engage in fundraising, public speaking and awareness campaigns in order to defend equal rights and work towards their goal of preventing and eliminating sexual violence in the region. SESAC also maintains an active social media presence in order to raise awareness about issues surrounding sexual violence beyond the region.
SESAC will be at Mount Allison on March 20 at 7 p.m. to present their services and how they can best serve Mt. A students. This presentation will take place in the Dunn Building’s Wu Theatre. They will also be receiving a cheque from the team behind The Vagina Monologues, who collected donations for SESAC at the door during their performances. As the only sexual assault centre in the region, SESAC is an important resource for Mt. A students, and this presentation provides an opportunity for students to ask questions about their services.
You can contact SHARE by email at [email protected] or phone at 506-364-2613 to report sexual violence or find more resources on this topic. You can reach SESAC at [email protected] or call their 24-hour support line at 1-844-853-0811.
