Blog

  • Posted November 18, 2024

How To: Flirt Consensually!

By Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre, in collaboration with Good Night Out Vancouver,  Qmunity, AMS SASC, and HiM When we talk about boundaries and harm prevention, it’s easy to focus on what not to do. But we’ve heard from the community that it can feel hard when people are constantly told what to avoid, without […]
  • Posted October 15, 2024

Vanessa Renteria: A Tragic Reminder of State Violence Against Women of Colour

Vanessa Renteria should still be with us. She deserved care, support, and safety—not a violent death at the hands of the police. As a non-English speaking newcomer to Canada, Vanessa was already navigating the challenges of adjusting to a new life. In a moment of vulnerability she needed help. Instead, her life was cut short […]

Open Letter From Anti-Violence Organizations In Support of Palestine

June 13, 2024 Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2 Subject: Anti-Violence Organizations Demand Immediate Action to End Canada’s Complicity in the Genocide in Gaza Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, We are a collective of anti-violence organizations and community organizers outraged by the […]

Five Years of Failing Indigenous Women, Girls & Two Spirit People

It’s National Indigenous Peoples History Month and in 2024, we continue to see history repeat itself. While we see elected officials sharing statements acknowledging this month, talking about their stance on Truth and Reconciliation, doing the photo ops at Indigenous Peoples Day events, all while Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people are still facing […]

Connection Is Harm Reduction

May 7th marks International Harm Reduction Day, a day focused on implementing strategies to minimize the social, legal, and health-related consequences of substance use and sexual activity. As a sexual assault support centre providing direct support to survivors for decades in BC, we recognize survivors need to find ways to cope with the trauma of […]

First-of-its-Kind Centre for Sexual Assault Survivors Set to Open in Vancouver Amidst Surging Need

For Immediate Release  [Coast Salish Territories, Vancouver, BC]: April 11, 2024 — Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre (formally known as WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre) will be opening the doors to their new sexual assault support centre at the end of April. This will be the first space in Vancouver that was designed by survivors for […]

Staying Silent is Killing Trans People

March 31st is Trans Day of Visibility where we celebrate those who’ve undergone significant self-discovery to live in alignment of their identity and be their authentic selves while navigating a cis-normative world. Trans folks live authentically in a variety of ways, sometimes out loud and sometimes in ways that ensure their survival, and always in […]

Protecting Your Autonomy in an Online World

At Salal, discussions about sexual violence means acknowledging the profound harms that result from not having complete autonomy of your body. Marginalized people are even more susceptible to their bodily autonomy being compromised when we live in a society built on misogyny, colonialism, white supremacy, transphobia and homophobia. Over the past decade, there has been […]

Disposal of Evidence is Not Justice

We are adding our voices in opposition to the RCMP’s application to dispose of evidence collected during the investigations of the Robert Pickton case. This recent move by the RCMP only adds to the long-standing systemic failures that enabled the murder and disappearance of over 50+ women in the Downtown Eastside. Pickton was tried for 26 […]

Recognition 2023

Every year, we celebrate the voices of Trans and Queer survivors with our annual creative project, Recognition. This years’ theme was a portrayal of Queer and Trans experiences of violence, while aiming to answer questions like, “How do you celebrate your community in the face of sexualized violence?” and “What does healing mean to you?”. We are honoured to […]