How Sexual Assault Crisis Lines Operate

Across Canada, sexual assault and rape crisis centres operate telephone lines staffed largely by volunteers. These services emerged from the women's movement of the 1970s, and many remain community-based non-profit organizations. A first-person account from a volunteer in the early 2010s gives a glimpse of what the work involves and how new recruits are prepared.

Training and evaluation

Preparation typically spans several weeks. Topics include sexual assault, abuse of children, harm reduction, suicide prevention and general crisis intervention. At the centre described in the account, the course lasted two months and finished with four role-played calls handled by staff members.

The volunteer reported failing two of the four on the first try, and found that the simulated call about child abuse produced an intense anxiety response. That centre allowed trainees to repeat the assessments after further study. The account added that other centres bar trainees from the phones if they do not pass first time, so policies vary from one organization to another.

Anonymity, confidentiality and reporting

Most lines of this type are anonymous and confidential, so callers do not have to identify themselves. There is one notable limit. In Canada, provincial child protection laws place a duty on people to report suspected abuse of a child. The volunteer noted that if a child caller declines to give identifying details, the volunteer has no way to act beyond listening and offering support. How the reporting duty applies differs by province and territory.

What callers seek

According to the account, most callers mainly wanted to be heard rather than directed anywhere. Some phoned again and again, and the volunteer ended up with regulars who rang daily to report on how things were going. Crisis-service researchers have noted that this pattern is common: lines serve survivors of recent and past assault, but also people dealing with isolation, relationship trouble or distress with no single cause.

Emotional demands on volunteers

The volunteer described dread and eagerness at the same time at the start of each shift, hoping the phone would not ring while also wanting to be useful. The account said the work grew somewhat easier but remained difficult. Organizations of this kind generally pair frontline volunteers with staff support and debriefing because of the strain involved.

Government sources describe sexual violence as a widespread public health and justice concern in Canada, and publicly funded and community services form part of the response.