Parry Sound-Muskoka MP and Official Opposition Public Safety critic, Tony Clement, said today that he is strongly in favour of police forces across Canada looking at options, such as the ‘Philadelphia Model,’ to address the vast number of sexual assault cases being dropped.
Clement recently hosted a meeting with local advocacy groups and the mayors of Huntsville and Bracebridge to discuss the alarming report in the Globe and Mail that revealed one in five sexual assault claims in Canada is dismissed as unfounded by police. Muskoka has some of the highest numbers in the country, with more than half of sexual assault allegations being dropped by the OPP.
“We must work together to address these disturbing and unacceptable statistics. We should be looking at alternative methods of addressing sexual assault allegations that promote third party oversight, training, transparency and accountability,” said Clement.
The Philadelphia Model, implemented 14 years ago, allows advocacy groups on the ground, who understand trauma, to review reported sexual assault cases directly with police. The model has corrected cases, and increased the rate of charges and convictions brought down in the courts.
“I am encouraged that communities and advocacy groups in Parry Sound-Muskoka, and across the country, are working together and learning from one another to find effective solutions to support sexual assault victims. I vow to help in my own community, and also in Ottawa as public safety critic, to implement positive changes. It is difficult enough to come forward as a victim of sexual assault, and it is unforgivable to be re-victimized by a system that should be protecting them,” said Clement.
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Your usual good work Tony . Thanks .
Thanks for taking a stand on sexual assault cases in Muskoka and at the National level.