Sexual assault advocates

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SACHA, the sexual assault centre in Hamilton is reacting to the Jian Ghomeshi verdict, saying the treatment of Ghomeshi’s accusers during the trial and today is proof the justice system is “flawed.”

Even though Jian Ghomeshi’s not-guilty verdict was expected, it still comes as a blow for the director of the sexual assault centre in Hamilton. Lenore Lukasik-Foss says the amount of victim blaming is troubling and it points out the deficiencies within our criminal justice system when dealing with sexual violence.

“The ways that behaviours of victims in this case were picked apart and everything that happened before and after there is so much that then gets called into questions about their credibility.”

The Toronto judge said the complainants were simply not credible given their shifting memories and evidence.

Out of every thousand sexual assaults only 33 are reported and only 3 lead to conviction. Many sexual support organizations are worried this “not guilty” verdict will keep other survivors of sexual violence from coming forward.