Launch of the multilingual Laval line

PRESS RELEASE

Launch of The Shield of Athena´s

MULTILINGUAL LAVAL LINE
FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

November 24, 2009 – Today, at the headquarters of the Laval police, The Shield of Athena launched a vital part of their new public awareness campaign on sexual abuse entitled “Do you have a secret?. A telephone line providing information on Laval resources for victims of sexual abuse is now available in the following 13 languages: Arabic, Armenian, Creole, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

The new campaign was made possible through the financial support of “Status of Women Canada”, and the collaboration of other community organizations, health institutions, the ethnic media and the SPVM. Tools such as PSAs and booklets in 15 languages were also designed as part of the campaign so as to increase awareness in many communities on sexual abuse, the laws and the resources available for victims.

The goal of this new multilingual line is to provide members of ethnic communities who have encountered cultural and linguistic barriers, equal access to information and services. It facilitates the transmission of vital information to members of ethnic communities and particularly to victims of sexual abuse. Raising awareness about existing services will empower victims to share their secret and seek help and encourage communities to support them.

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