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The sexual assault charges filed against former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi offer tentative hope to those who fear their claims will be dismissed by an indifferent law enforcement system, victims' advocates said Wednesday.
Their optimism, however, is tempered by the sweeping changes they argue would need to take place if the Ghomeshi case is to become the rule rather than the exception.
Sexual assault is widely considered to be grossly under-reported, and rape crisis counsellor Hilla Kerner says the complaints that are filed rarely get aired before a judge or jury.
While she and her colleagues at the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter fear that Ghomeshi's day in court came about in part because of his prominent public profile, she said it still represents a victory.
"This is a very rare example that the police actually was very diligent, very fast and thorough, and the result is criminal charges," Kerner said in a telephone interview.
"So we do think that it will create a positive effect. That women can see that where there is a will there is a way and the police are diligent. Unfortunately, we're afraid that the police only acted like that because there was such a public outcry."
The former "Q" radio host was charged Wednesday with four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. He was released on bail and was ordered to live with his mother, surrender his passport and remain in Ontario.
Kerner said allegations of sexual assault against Ghomeshi from multiple women spanning more than a decade sparked outrage the likes of which she's rarely seen.
The 47-year-old former host was fired by CBC on Oct. 26 after the public broadcaster said it had seen "graphic evidence'' that he had physically injured a woman.
Since his dismissal, nine women have come forward with allegations that Ghomeshi sexually or physically assaulted them, and three of them ultimately filed police complaints.
Ghomeshi has admitted that he engaged in "rough sex" but insisted his encounters with women were consensual. Ghomeshi's lawyer Marie Henein has also said that her client intends to plead not guilty to the charges.
