A young man who was sexually assaulted gave a moving testimony. The teenager decided to tell her story to encourage other victims to denounce their attackers.
In the summer of 2019, the girl we’ll call “Catherine,” then 13 years old, ran away from Center Jeunes L’Escale in Quebec. Runaway wasn’t his first, but it turned out to be a nightmare.
“I didn’t feel good there. I don’t know anymore, I’ve tested the limits a bit,” said the young woman.
The two teenage girls told a certain Miguel, a 19-year-old, an employee of a company subcontracted to the center, in charge of transportation.
“He does LiftsHe will take us Dog, he offers us to get rid of alcohol. Oddly, he did whatever the girls wanted.”
On August 13, 2019, Catherine uses an authorized trip to the library to escape. She asks Miguel Mason to take her to her best friend. But the young man brought her home.
“I was nervous. It was the first time I got into a car with a stranger, someone I didn’t know, but at the same time I believed him, I thought he was an intervention officer. […] So there shouldn’t be a problem.”
After bringing her inside and making her drink alcohol, the young man sexually assaulted her.
“He started kissing me hard, he was squeezing my ribs. I wasn’t comfortable at all,” the young woman recalled. “I remember his breathing, it was strong.”
Miguel took her back to the youth center after the attack. She was then in a state of shock and confusion.
“My legs were bleeding and I peed on myself. I don’t want anyone to come and see me, but I’d like someone to at least understand that even though I can’t speak, I can’t say anything.”
Catherine still had a bitter taste from her time at L’Escale Youth Center. She lamented that she did not get the help she needed from the responders after the attack.
“I felt dirty, not good […] At the same time, this happened to me for the first time, this was my first sexual relationship, I was thinking that maybe this is how it is, maybe this is normal.
Her attacker is currently serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexual assault. This testimony was part of Catherine’s healing process.
“I wanted to fight from start to finish and if it could help me get better. Just speaking out, telling my story and raising awareness, I’m very proud of myself.”
Now 16, she is now looking to the future. She dreams of becoming a paramedic and traveling.
The message she wants to send to those going through a difficult time like hers: “One of the things I understand […] It’s not the victim’s fault, it’s the aggressor’s fault and nobody questions themselves about that.
She also emphasized the importance of denouncing the aggressors, even if the legal process is long and difficult.
In an email, the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale confirms that it makes all the necessary checks regarding the security and background of employees of subcontracting companies working in its facilities. Additionally, in the case of security agents, the Private Security Bureau conducts in-depth investigations.
“Regarding the services offered to young people in rehabilitation centers, they are adapted to each situation that young people experience and modulated according to the necessary intensity. Sexual abuse situations are complex and in cooperation with our workers, police services, DPCP and organizations that work with victims, all that is necessary to support young people in this difficult ordeal. Be sure to provide services and support.
– with information from Andre Martin
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