Resources for Survivors
Sexual assault is a traumatic, deeply personal experience. If you have been sexually assaulted, please remember that it was not your fault, and you are deserving of support.
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Get to a safe place.
Go somewhere you feel secure and protected. Call 911 if you think you're still in danger, at risk, and/or injured. If possible, call someone you trust and ask them if they can be with you.
Get medical care.
If you have experienced a sexual assault, you may have internal or external injuries. There may also be some risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.
PEI Emergency Department health care providers are trained to provide Enhanced Emergency Sexual Assault Services (EESAS), to treat sexual assault victims/survivors with respect, compassion and belief, and you will be provided services to your health care needs with confidentiality. Please note that not all Emergency Departments are open 24 hours a day, especially in rural locations, but they will provide transportation from their hospital to another open Emergency Department and back at no cost to you.
Consider reporting and rape kit options.
If you are thinking about reporting and having a rape kit done, sooner is better than later, but even after 72 hours some evidence may still be collectible from a person’s body and clothing. You may be asked by a health care provider if you want to report to police, but you are not required to report if you do not want to.
If you are not sure about reporting and need some time to think about it, you can have evidence collected anonymously and stored up to one year – this is called the ‘Third Option’. More details on how this works will be explained to you by the EESAS team at the hospital.
Talk to someone, when you’re ready.
The hours immediately after a sexual assault can be very confusing, and making decisions is difficult. Being able to talk to someone you trust can be an important step in your process of recovery. We invite you to try reaching out to someone you know and trust or talking to us - we are here to support.
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There is no one correct path to healing and no timeline on getting support. PEIRSAC support services are available to anyone impacted by sexual assault as an adult (19+) or childhood sexual abuse, even if it happened a long time ago.
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Anderson House provides emergency shelter for women and children who are in need of safety because of violence in their lives. Anderson House services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anderson House provides confidential support and information.
Local: 902-892-0960
Toll Free: 1-800-240-9894
Chief Mary Bernard Shelter is shelter for women in distress, women without housing, or for young mothers who need extra support. The shelter provides safe and supportive housing on Lennox Island to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and their children who are experiencing family violence.
Local: 902-831-2332
Toll Free: 1-855-297-2332
Blooming House Shelter provides safe overnight shelter for women in the Charlottetown area, opened from 4 p.m. - to 8:00 a.m. 7 days a week.
Local: 902-213-9969
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RISE Program offers free legal resources and support to people 16 years old and older who have experienced sexual violence or workplace sexual harassment.
Up to four hours of free legal advice from a lawyer
Plain language legal information
Support navigating the justice system
Referrals to other community services
Email: rise@legalinfopei.ca
Phone or text: 902-218-6143
Victim Services assists victims of crime throughout their involvement in the criminal justice system. Assistance is available to victims of crime anywhere on Prince Edward Island. If you live off-Island and are victimized by a crime that occurred on PEI, you are also eligible for services.
Email: victimservicescharlottetown@gov.pe.ca
Queen/Kings County: 902-368‑4582
Prince County: 902-888‑8218
Learn more about your options:
Note: These sites are listed for reference purposes only. Please note that you are leaving the PEIRSAC’s website when you follow any of these links. PEIRSAC assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information contained on these sites.
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RISE Program: If you have experienced sexual violence or workplace sexual harassment, you have options. RISE will help you address it formally in the legal system or outside of the legal system.
Bridge The gApp: For Adults: Bridge the gApp is a new way to connect with guidance and support for mental health and addictions. The best thing about it is its accessibility. From a computer, tablet or a phone in your pocket, you can instantly access content that can provide advice, inspiration, assurance, or direction for finding additional supports when you need it the most.
"Third Option" Kits: Islanders experiencing sexual violence can request the Third Option in Prince Edward Island. The addition of the Third Option provides survivors more time to consider making a complaint to police while they receive immediate medical attention and support.
Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund: LEAF is a well-established and dedicated advocate for gender equality, demonstrating tangible results, year after year. LEAF focuses on litigation, law reform, and public education.
Ending Violence Association of Canada: The Ending Violence Association of Canada is a national non-profit organization whose main purpose is to educate and respond to gender based violence at the national level.
Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking: Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking’s goal is to mobilize collective action and system change to end human trafficking in Canada
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Strongest Family Institute: SFI is an award-winning charity grounded in twenty years of social science research. Their evidence-based, bilingual mental health services are available for children/youth, adults, and their families, when and where they need it.
Canadian Centre For Child Protection: The Canadian Centre For Child Protection is committed to innovative research that helps us create tailored resources to support families and protect children through education and prevention material.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: The mission of National Child Traumatic Stress Network is to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities.
Kids Help Phone - Support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth: Being Indigenous is a source of pride and strength — but it can also come with challenges that others don’t always see. Services are often hard to access, don’t reflect Indigenous ways of knowing or come with barriers like discrimination.
Students for Consent Culture: Students for Consent Culture Canada is an organization dedicated to supporting anti-sexual violence advocacy and activism on campuses across the settler colonial state known as Canada by serving as a hub of resources, tools, community, and institutional memory for student engagement.
Student Well Being Teams: Student well-being teams work in all P.E.I. public schools advising, consulting and providing direct service to children and youth who are struggling with mental, social and physical health issues.