Survivors in their own words: ‘I was interrogated and made to feel like the situation was my fault’

After reporting on Carrie Low‘s experience and the story of a young woman who reported she was drugged at The Dome before being sexually assaulted, we invited survivors of sexual assault to share their experiences and how the police handled their investigations. We assured them anonymity. This is the second in an ongoing series. See the entire series here.

I wanted to share my story, in hopes of helping the story/ case regarding Carrie Low. 

Back in 2008, I had a very similar experience happen to me. I am female, and at that time I was 24. My girlfriends and I had gone to the Dome, at that time the Cheers section. 

We had met a group of young men at the bar. They indicated they were hockey players. Unsure if that was said just to impress us, or if there was an actual hockey event taking place. We were unsure. 

Time goes by, drinks are had, and I get separated from my friends. I do not have many memories of that evening since that moment, I had a blackout, but I know I went with the group to where they were staying. The next memory I have is waking up to three men raping me. Then I black out again. The next morning I wake up before the men and leave as soon as possible. I go directly to the QEII emergency and tell them what happened and they assessed me using their protocol for handling rape cases. I did have bruises showing I was harmed. 

After that, I did report my case to the police. The entire process was terrible. Every officer I encountered was so insensitive.  I was interrogated and made to feel like the situation was my fault. I went to multiple sessions with the police and nothing was done, so I dropped the case. 

For my sanity and healing process, I felt it did not make sense for me to pursue the case anymore. 

Since then I have gone to therapy and it took a very long time to not think about this situation everyday. I am so thankful the situation wasn’t worse, but this is something I have to deal with the rest of my life. I had a very good support system of family and friends, for which I am grateful. If I didn’t have them, I’m not sure how I would fair today.  

I feel for that person pursuing their case. It’s so hard for women to actually be heard and taken seriously in these matters. 

If you are a survivor of sexual assault and would like to share your experiences with how the police handled your investigation, we’d be happy to hear from you. Anonymity is assured. Email survivor@halifaxexaminer.ca.