Heather was 15 years old when she was gang-raped.

For more than 30 years, she lived with the shame and anger of her trauma until she finally decided to report it to the Kelowna RCMP when she was 48 years old.

A year later, she was told by investigators that there wasn乌鸦传媒檛 enough evidence and her case was closed, leaving her with more questions than answers and a sense of betrayal by those who are supposed to serve and protect.

Her experience with the police, like so many others in Kelowna, appears to be a common story many survivors of sexual assault have encountered.

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According to Statistics Canada, nearly 40 per cent of sexual assaults reported to Kelowna RCMP were deemed 乌鸦传媒渦nfounded乌鸦传媒� in 2018.

That number is more than double the 15 per cent average across the province and dwarfs the under five per cent averages in Vancouver and Victoria.

The alarming statistic represents 35 victims in Kelowna who claimed they were sexually assaulted but were never able to find justice.

Heather is one of those victims.

乌鸦传媒淜elowna has a problem,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淭here is no such thing as justice in this city for survivors and victims of sexual assault.乌鸦传媒�

Heather, whose last name the Capital News has agreed to keep anonymous, was in Grade 10 at a party with some friends on spring break when she was allegedly gang-raped.

While she乌鸦传媒檚 not sure if she was drugged, she said it was at that party in April 1986, where she was found unconscious and barricaded in a room with three of her classmates who sexually assaulted her.

乌鸦传媒淭he last thing I remember was sitting on the couch drinking,乌鸦传媒� Heather said. 乌鸦传媒淩umours are that I was drugged.乌鸦传媒�

Heather said when she woke up the next day, she was 乌鸦传媒渟ore everywhere,乌鸦传媒� and she 乌鸦传媒渏ust knew乌鸦传媒� she had been assaulted.

Upon returning to school the following Monday, she had been deemed a 乌鸦传媒渟lut乌鸦传媒� by her classmates.

It took Heather乌鸦传媒檚 friends 乌鸦传媒� whom she now refers to using air quotes 乌鸦传媒� 32 years to tell her the names of two of the alleged culprits, allowing her to file a police report with the RCMP in September 2018.

She said her 乌鸦传媒渇riends乌鸦传媒� wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 divulge the name of the third culprit.

According to Heather, the RCMP乌鸦传媒檚 initial investigation was limited to a single phone call, which was made to the wrong person with the same name as her assailant.

乌鸦传媒淗e denied knowing me. They closed the case,乌鸦传媒� said Heather, reliving the frustration she felt.

Feeling unheard, she decided to go up the chain of command.

乌鸦传媒淚 spoke with someone who knows how to fight the RCMP,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淗e did some digging and he found out that they had just randomly phoned some guy with the same name.乌鸦传媒�

After demanding a more thorough investigation, Heather said the RCMP made two additional phone calls to both of the men she accused, only for them to deny the allegations and the case to be closed in August 2019 乌鸦传媒� less than a year after it was opened.

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Adding insult to injury, to this day, Heather said she is still seen as a slut by her classmates and feels betrayed by those she called her friends and classmates.

She even wrote a letter to them explaining the pain she felt when they looked the other way the day she needed them most.

乌鸦传媒淚 did not have a good time. I did not deserve what those boys did to me, but more than that, I did not deserve what you all did to me after. I was raped and you all either covered it up or created a narrative where I was a slut and liked it,乌鸦传媒� reads an excerpt from the letter she wrote to her classmates entitled Happy 30th Reunion.

Still raw from her embittered battle with law enforcement, Heather said there were times she could乌鸦传媒檝e screamed at the officers handling her case.

乌鸦传媒淚 tried so f乌鸦传媒攌ing hard to keep it together when I reported,乌鸦传媒� she said.

At one point, during what she described as a very intimidating reporting process, Heather said she was asked whether or not she consented.

乌鸦传媒淚 was 15 and I was unconscious. How would I have consented?乌鸦传媒� She said.

乌鸦传媒淚 walked into that office and I乌鸦传媒檇 had 32 years to resolve my trauma乌鸦传媒�I can乌鸦传媒檛 imagine being a fresh survivor and having to deal with them.乌鸦传媒�

According to Heather, the RCMP is 乌鸦传媒渟teeped in rape culture乌鸦传媒� and systemic change is needed in the way sexual assault cases are handled, adding she wasn乌鸦传媒檛 surprised 40 per cent of sexual assault cases in 2018 were deemed 乌鸦传媒渦nfounded乌鸦传媒� by the RCMP in Kelowna.

乌鸦传媒淲e need proper sexual assault investigators in this city and we need cops who understand what rape culture is and how they乌鸦传媒檙e contributing to it,乌鸦传媒� said Heather.

She slammed the police force for its poor training practices and described the current situation as an 乌鸦传媒渆pidemic.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淲e need proper training; we need to hire better RCMP officers to begin with乌鸦传媒�they need to be empathetic and they need to care about this epidemic because it is an epidemic.乌鸦传媒�

Michelle Novakowski, executive director for the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society, agreed that more training needs to be given to police officers handling sensitive crimes, however, she said RCMP officers are still human and fallible.

乌鸦传媒淲hile we do hold police to a higher standard, they乌鸦传媒檙e still part of our culture and there are a lot of myths around sexual assault,乌鸦传媒� she said.

She cited familiar tropes such as 乌鸦传媒渨omen ask for it乌鸦传媒� or 乌鸦传媒渟he shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 have been drinking乌鸦传媒� as unfortunate myths that are still perpetuated in society that place the blame on victims instead of putting the blame on the assailants.

乌鸦传媒淭hose come out when somebody reports a sexual assault,乌鸦传媒� she said.

Novakowski said the Elizabeth Fry Society has been working with the RCMP for a couple of years on developing a trauma-informed practice, but says more work still needs to be done.

The RCMP declined an interview request, but in a statement said the investigation into Heather乌鸦传媒檚 case was concluded because the evidence did not meet the threshold to lay a charge.

That threshold, according to RCMP, is set out by the attorney general and must include the 乌鸦传媒渟ubstantial likelihood of conviction.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淲e the RCMP know that sexual assault is a devastating crime that has traumatic and long-lasting effects on victims,乌鸦传媒� read the statement.

乌鸦传媒淢oreover, a poor experience with police investigators can bring more trauma to victims and discourage others from reporting these crimes.

乌鸦传媒淲e are committed to strengthening police training and awareness, investigative accountability, victim support and public education and communication.乌鸦传媒�

The RCMP said it is committed to ensuring sexual assault survivors feel comfortable coming forward.

乌鸦传媒淲e want to ensure that all survivors of sexual assault feel comfortable bringing their allegations to the RCMP, receive the same standard of care regardless of jurisdiction, and trust investigators to thoroughly and professionally investigate these crimes,乌鸦传媒� said the RCMP statement.

While those words might bring comfort to some sexual assault survivors, for Heather, it乌鸦传媒檚 too little, too late.

乌鸦传媒淜elowna is an incredibly toxic city when it comes to this stuff. It hasn乌鸦传媒檛 changed since I was 15.乌鸦传媒�

michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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