The director of the Chatham-Kent Sexual Assault Crisis Centre says there must be more accountability and oversight for the system to improve.
On Friday morning, a sexual assault symposium was held at the Bradley Centre in Chatham discussing reporting, accountability, oversight and new models to improve the system.
Director Michelle Schryer says sexual assault reports and convictions haven't changed much in the last 30 years and something has to change.
"We've done a lot of work in terms of community building and partnerships and education, but why are not getting anywhere?" says Schryer.
Sunny Marriner, the director of the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, was Friday's keynote speaker and she told the crowd of about 100, including Chatham-Kent Police, that unfounded sexual assault statistics are unreliable because they're erratically recorded.
Schryer says a new model used in Philadelphia may be the answer to getting better results because the outcomes are measurable, reviewable, and actionable.
"In every 1,000 sexual assaults, only 33 are reported to police and of those only three ever result in conviction. So, it's time for us to do things differently," Schryer says.
Schryer says it's time to seriously consider a new model to get better results for victims.
"If we can change the way we're doing our work and if these review teams demonstrate that there are fewer unfounded cases, that can only result in people feeling a little more confident and trusting of the justice system and would be more likely to come forward," says Schryer.