NewsThe Chinook Sexual Assault Centre Statement in Support of E.M and all Survivors of Sexual Assault Following the Hockey Canada Players Trial Verdict July 24, 2025
#WeBelieveSurvivors
Today’s not guilty verdict for all five accused in the Hockey Canada players trial in London, Ontario, is a profound setback for all survivors of sexual assault. This outcome is not only devastating for the individual survivor in this case, but also reverberates across communities, undermining the courage it takes to come forward and driving home, once again, how the voices and lives of women and girls are too often discounted.
As highlighted in Sophie Gilbert’s novel, Girl on Girl, society reflexively doubts victims, “sifting through their pasts for reasons not to believe them, for holes in their story, for evidence of their own culpability,” while upholding the rights and privileges of men - especially those with celebrity, political, or athletic status. The verdict in this trial epitomizes how rape myths and misogynistic narratives are perpetuated in our justice system, discouraging survivors from seeking accountability and reinforcing the impunity of those in positions of power and influence.
Testimony & Systemic Failure
Testimony from survivors in cases like this requires immense courage. Yet, over and over, the judicial system asks survivors to relive their trauma, demanding “perfect” victims and ignoring the complex realities of sexual violence. These outcomes are shaped by enduring cultural biases - not lack of harm, but lack of belief and support for those harmed. As Gilbert notes, “Only in an environment shaped by male privilege could victimhood be reimagined as a willed, malicious act by the already vulnerable.”
Societal Impact
The reverence for celebrity, sports, and power allows the normalization - and even celebration - of figures accused of serious harm, sending a chilling message about whose voices matter.
The persistence of rape myths means that, as a society, we fail to hold perpetrators to account, instead scrutinizing the actions and credibility of survivors in ways that further traumatize and isolate them.
This verdict erodes public trust in the justice system and deepens the sense of injustice felt by all who hope for meaningful change.
Supporting Survivors and Demanding Change
We must continue to say: #WeBelieveSurvivors. Survivors deserve to be seen, heard, and believed. Our institutions must move beyond performative reforms to real accountability- centering survivor testimony, dismantling rape myths, and confronting the ways gendered violence is minimized and normalized.
Justice was not served today. But those of us who support survivors will not be silenced or deterred. In the words of Sophie Gilbert, “Survivors exist in the gaps and silences of history, and bearing witness is a vital act of reclamation.”
Let today be a call to action: to challenge misogyny, to demand accountability, and to affirm, again and again, that #WeBelieveSurvivors.
References: Sophie Gilbert, Girl on Girl: Art and Survival in the Age of Female Rivalry.
Read more