The Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre: Fifty Years of Crisis Counselling, Public Education, and Advocacy

This year, the Ottawa Rape Crisis Center (ORCC) marks fifty years since it was first founded in 1974. The ORCC was the third Rape Crisis Centre organized in Canada, following the establishment of Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter in 1973, and the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre in February 1974. During feminist discussion groups, which were central hubs for women’s liberation activism throughout the 1960s and the early 1970s, young women discovered not only that an inordinate number of women had been raped or sexually assaulted, but also that many women had been re-traumatized by police officers and hospital workers due to prevalent societal myths about sexual violence. These myths were bolstered by Canadian law which, according to the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSW) writing in 1975, “puts the character of the complainant in issue at a trial.”¹  For example, until 1987, the Criminal Code specified that certain sexual offences, such as intercourse with a “female between the ages of 14 and 16,” required the victim to be “of previously chaste character.” In other words, a complainant’s perceived sexual promiscuity was considered relevant to deciding whether a crime had been committed².

The idea for starting a Rape Crisis Centre in Ottawa originated with three women in March of 1974: Rosemary Billings, Gabby Van Heusen, and Diane Williams, who met each other while volunteering at the Ottawa Women’s Centre. Through their participation in the Centre’s “rap groups” and consciousness-raising sessions, they realized that each of them personally knew many women who had experienced sexual violence. This prompted them to visit the Ottawa Police Station, where OPS confirmed that the number of reported rapes were “quite high.” Comparing police data to their own data from feminist study groups, they also discovered that the number of rapes reported to police accounted for about 10% of those which had been disclosed at the Centre. On December 14th, 1974, the three women set up a 24-hr crisis line to help victims process the shame and trauma associated with rape, and to demystify the procedures involved in reporting sexual crimes and pressing charges against the perpetrator. If the caller desired, an ORCC member would accompany them to the hospital or police station. They also offered free, long-term counselling services to victims and family members³.

The ORCC was the first ever organization in Ottawa to offer these kinds of services. In addition to providing sorely needed trauma counselling and information for sexual assault survivors, women who worked or volunteered at the ORCC became women's advocates, police trainers, and public educators. They defined their basic philosophy as follows:

• The victim of a sexual assault is not responsible for the assault
• Rape is not an individual crime but a social crime
• Rape is a crime of aggression and not a crime of passion or a sexual crime
• Rape is a crime of the strong vs. the vulnerable

To this end, therefore, we see as one of the most important functions of an RCC the changing of attitudes toward the victim and the crime of rape itself—work actively for law reform and attitudinal change by means of education.⁴ 

Like the CACSW, the ORCC advocated for legal reform and recommended that “the Criminal Code be amended to extend protection from sexual abuse to all young people male or female, and protection to everyone from sexual exploitation either by false representation, use of force, threat, or abuse of authority.”⁵  Until 1982, the Criminal Code designated rape as a crime committed by “a male person”⁶ against “a female person.”  The ORCC argued that this legislation prevented male victims from pursuing justice and reinforced sexist myths of “natural” male aggression and female submission. To combat this myth, they also gave advice and workshops on self-defense techniques, so that people would feel empowered to fight back against potential assailants.⁷

Similarly, the ORCC noted that rape and other sexual offences were the only crimes in which the complainant was put on trial; historically, the defense had been permitted to interrogate a complainant’s previous sexual history, casting doubt on the claim that she had been raped. Likewise, the rules surrounding rape trials placed a special burden of proof on the complainant; unlike other forms of assault, the victim had to prove that she had attempted to prevent the crime by actively resisting or struggling against her assailant.⁸  Multiple ORCC documents cite a then-prevalent (and infuriating) myth that “a healthy woman can’t be raped” because “you can’t thread a moving needle.”⁹  In the late 1970s, the Ontario Status of Women Council reported that “the conviction rate of rape charges brought to trial is only 50-60% (against 80% for all other indictable offences)” and furthermore that “fewer than 20% of rape cases reported to the police go to trial.”¹⁰  In fact, many people who reported sexual violence to the police were prevented from pursuing charges because non-standardized procedures gave individual officers the power to determine whether a complaint was “founded” or “unfounded.”¹¹

By gathering local data and compiling statistics, the ORCC were able to combat deep-rooted myths about the kinds of people who are raped, the victim’s reaction to rape, and the evidence used to determine whether a complainant was telling the truth. Their statistics about where most rapes in Ottawa occurred (inside the victim’s or the offender’s residence) combated sexist suggestions that women should not go out at night or go to bars if they wished to avoid sexual violence.¹²  “From these statistics,” the ORCC argued, “it seems as if a woman’s home is just as, if not more dangerous than a dark alley at 4 in the morning.”¹³  By providing local police with Crisis and Conflict Intervention Training, the ORCC pushed law enforcement to standardize procedures without recourse to harmful myths about women’s bodies and sexual violence.¹⁴  At the same time, while they waited for the lengthy process of legal reform to take effect, the ORCC provided callers with information about the kinds of evidence they would need to gather and the traumatizing interrogations they could face if they decided to pursue criminal charges.

One of the ORCC’s most important local projects involved their objection to Fred Storaska’s “How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive” (1975), an erroneous film about rape prevention that had been screened, endorsed, and promoted by the Ottawa Police Commission, the Ottawa Board of Education, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.^{15 and 16}   Though without any actual credentials, Storaska represented himself as an expert on rape prevention, and counselled women against using any form of active resistance against sexual violence. In the film, Storaska informs his lecture audience that they should not scream or struggle when attacked, because “when you struggle, you’re further sexually enticing a man.” According to Storaska, “Many times another crime is initiated and then turns into rape because of the woman’s response.” To avoid being maimed or killed by their rapist, Storaska advised his audience to “go along with the potential assaulter until and only until you see the chance to safely react.” He argued that demonstrating “love,” “respect,” and “humility” towards the rapist is “everybody’s best weapon in any given potential assault.”¹⁷  Unsurprisingly, the ORCC interpreted Storaska’s advice as exceptionally harmful.

According to a 1978 statement by CACSW, the RCMP refused to withdraw the Storaska film from police training “despite the opposition of all rape crisis centers” across the country, but were “unable to provide us with any evidence of the effectiveness of this film in crime prevention.”¹⁸  In the same year, the ORCC joined with members of the Women’s Centre, the Women’s Career Counselling Service, and the Feminist Counselling Collective, and Upstream newspaper, to appeal a decision by the Ottawa Police Commission to continue Ottawa Police use of the film¹⁹.  As the ORCC and their allies vehemently argued in several public appeals regarding the film, “if women followed his advice, convictions would be virtually impossible to obtain” given that complainants had to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that they did not consent.²⁰  According to the ORCC, “A woman who has followed the film’s suggestions of placing the rapist’s hand on her breast, ‘pressing her body close to his,’ or giving him ‘a little peck on the cheek’ will have a hard time getting the police, the Crown, or a jury to believe she didn’t consent.”²¹  While the ORCC attempted to suggest other films as a replacement such as “Rape: No Pat Answer,” local police and education boards vehemently resisted.

Today, the harmful advice and stereotypes parroted in “How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive” are quite obviously abhorrent. Nevertheless, the fact that the ORCC had to fight against the film’s circulation within our local legal and educational institutions provides us with a clear indication of their indispensable social and role. These women brought rape and sexual violence into public discourse, during a time when such discussions were considered taboo and shameful. If it weren’t for groups of young women getting together and talking about their shared struggles 50 years ago, police and hospitals would not have developed standardized procedures for responding to sexual violence. Through the simple act of setting up their 24-hour crisis phone line, Billings, Van Heusen, and Williams not only built a necessary public service from the ground up, but also made it easier for sexual assault survivors in Ottawa to receive treatment and obtain justice. As such, rape crisis centers are an outstanding example of women’s organizing and its power to influence traditionally conservative institutions. Join us in wishing a happy 50th birthday to the ORCC!

Learn more about the struggle to reform sexual violence legislation in Canada.

Note on language: Historically, sexual violence has been policed and regulated based on binary conceptions of sex and gender. The author wishes to acknowledge that transgender and gender diverse people in Canada are especially vulnerable to sexual violence. According to the federal government, “Transgender and gender diverse people in Canada were significantly more likely than cisgender people to having been physically or sexually assaulted at least once since age 15 (59% versus 37%, respectively).” Click here to read current information and statistics regarding gender-based violence.

Notes

1. Marcia H. Rioux, “When Myths Masquerade as Reality: A Study of Rape,” prepared for CACSW (April 1975) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F4, p. 9.
2. Constance Backhouse, “1986 Criminal Code,” A History of Canadian Sexual Assault Legislation 1900-2000, https://www.constancebackhouse.ca/fileadmin/website/1986.htm
3. The Ottawa Rape Crisis Center newsletter (June 1975) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S1-F9.
4. Philosophy of National Association of RCCs (c. 1975-1976) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F4.
5. Marcia H. Rioux, “When Myths Masquerade as Reality: A Study of Rape,” prepared for CACSW (April 1975) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F4, p. 2.
6. Constance Backhouse, “1986 Criminal Code,” A History of Canadian Sexual Assault Legislation 1900-2000, https://www.constancebackhouse.ca/fileadmin/website/1981.htm
7. Rape Prevention Tactics (c. 1975-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S1-F9.
8. Legal Opinion on the Film “How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive” provided by The Ontario Status of Women Council (c.1977-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.
9. Typical Questions – Part II (c. 1977-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.
10. Legal Opinion on the Film “How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive” provided by The Ontario Status of Women Council (c.1977-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.
11. Ibid.
12. Ottawa-Hull Rape Crisis Centre Statistics (1977) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S1-F9.
13. Sample Answers to Typical Questions: Part II (c. 1977-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.
14. Crisis & conflict interventions: Rape crisis intervention training program for police officers, articles, notes, a pamphlet (1979) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F1.
15. Statement on Rape Made at Advisory Council Meeting in Montreal (12 April 1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S5-F4.
16. “How to say no to a rapist: OBE to use controversial film,” Upstream (September-October 1977) RiseUp! Digital Feminist Archive, http://riseupfeministarchive.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Upstream-01-10-Sept-Oct-1977.pdf
17. Soundtrack to “How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive” (c. 1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S5-F4.
18. Statement on Rape Made at Advisory Council Meeting in Montreal (12 April 1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S5-F4.
19. Rosemary Billings, Press Release: Local Authorities Misled by Rape ‘Expert’ (3 January 1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.
20. Legal Opinion on the Film “How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive” provided by The Ontario Status of Women Council (c.1977-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.
21. How to Cause Rape Without Really Trying, prepared for the Ottawa-Hull Rape Crisis Centre (c. 1977-1978) Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre fonds, Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa, 10-088-S4-F3.