Speaking out about sexual violence

Rochelle Squires, a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and current leader of Winnipeg's downtown development agency, has opened up about her experience with sexual violence. Like many young girls, she eagerly anticipated her graduation from high school in 1984, but her dreams were dashed when her best friend was invited to a party without her.

Instead, she found herself among a much older crowd who made her feel accepted by encouraging her to drink and engage in sexual activities. Squires was sexually assaulted, but she did not recognize it at the time. Instead, she blamed herself and faced backlash from classmates who labeled her a "slut." It took the stories of other survivors, like the "Jane Doe" case at Cornell University, for her to finally acknowledge that what happened to her was rape.

Squires has been vocal in her advocacy for survivors, calling for a society that supports and believes survivors, rather than blaming them for the trauma they have endured. She introduced third-party reporting in Manitoba to provide another avenue for survivors to disclose sexual assaults without having to go through the police.