About

SACHA is a fem­i­nist, non-prof­it, com­mu­ni­ty-based orga­ni­za­tion that pro­vides sup­ports to peo­ple who have expe­ri­enced sex­u­al­ized vio­lence at any point in their lives. We work to end vio­lence and oppres­sion through edu­ca­tion, advo­ca­cy, out­reach, coali­tion build­ing, com­mu­ni­ty part­ner­ships, and activism.

SACHA’s fem­i­nism is impor­tant to us. A fem­i­nist analy­sis of sex­u­al vio­lence that rec­og­nizes the sys­temic and soci­etal struc­tures that pro­mote or allow sex­u­al vio­lence to exist. Sex­u­al assault does not hap­pen because of sex­u­al attrac­tion, but is an attempt to exert pow­er and con­trol over some­one else.

We have an inter­sec­tion­al fem­i­nist analy­sis. We believe that to end sex­u­al vio­lence, we must end all forms of oppression.

Sex­u­al vio­lence is an expres­sion of social inequal­i­ty. Sex­u­al assault takes place with­in a social, polit­i­cal, cul­tur­al and eco­nom­ic con­text of his­tor­i­cal dis­ad­van­tage and oppres­sion. We know that those from mar­gin­al­ized com­mu­ni­ties such as Indige­nous folks, peo­ple liv­ing with dis­abil­i­ties, peo­ple of colour, immi­grant and refugees, LGBQT2S folks, and oth­er mar­gin­al­ized groups are at an increased risk of expe­ri­enc­ing sex­u­al vio­lence. Because of this, our ser­vices need to be acces­si­ble to every­one, espe­cial­ly the most marginalized.

A fem­i­nist analy­sis of sex­u­al vio­lence also rec­og­nizes how men are social­ized can serve as bar­ri­ers to male sur­vivors reach­ing out and receiv­ing sup­port. Tra­di­tion­al­ly, being a ​“man” is at odds with being a ​“vic­tim”. This analy­sis holds that male sur­vivors also need and deserve access to spe­cial­ized ser­vices to pro­mote healing.

SACHA is com­mit­ted to includ­ing all peo­ple in the work to end sex­u­al violence.

We are com­mit­ted to address­ing the many ways fem­i­nism has been exclu­sion­ary and has failed those who should be includ­ed in spaces like SACHA. One of the areas we are cur­rent­ly work­ing towards is a more inclu­sive prac­tice and lan­guage around gen­der that can be wel­com­ing and sup­port­ive for all gen­der iden­ti­ties and expres­sions, includ­ing trans, non-bina­ry, and Two-Spir­it people. 

Trans, Two-Spir­it, and non-bina­ry mem­bers of our com­mu­ni­ties face a high­er risk of vio­lence includ­ing sex­u­al vio­lence, and the uphold­ing of a gen­der bina­ry con­tributes to this vio­lence. We are com­mit­ted to fight­ing trans­pho­bia and unlearn­ing this bina­ry with­in SACHA’s prac­tices, poli­cies, and ser­vices and we wel­come input from these com­mu­ni­ties on where we can do better.

When we use the term woman/​women, we mean ALL women includ­ing cis and trans women. We rec­og­nize that this his­tor­i­cal­ly has wrong­ful­ly not been the way this term has been used and that many con­tin­ue to exclude trans women. We at SACHA affirm that trans women are women.

SACHA sup­ports the decrim­i­nal­iza­tion of sex work. Decrim­i­nal­iza­tion entails the removal of all sex work relat­ed offences from the Crim­i­nal Code. This means sex work­ers, and their clients, would not be sub­ject to arrest because of activ­i­ties relat­ed to sex work. 

Both men and women par­tic­i­pate in sex work. Women (trans and cis­gen­der) are more often the tar­get of vio­lence. For this rea­son, we address the con­cerns of women in sex work. SACHA sup­ports the decrim­i­nal­iza­tion of sex work for the safe­ty of all sex workers.