Supporting Survivors. Shifting Society.
WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre is a non-profit charitable organization that formed in 1982 in response to the high demand for support services for survivors of sexual assault. Over the past 36 years, WAVAW has grown from a one-woman operated crisis line to the largest rape crisis centre in British Columbia. At WAVAW, we are committed to supporting survivors on their self-determined healing journey, and to ensuring that they can access the healing power of connection when they need it most.
WAVAW is also dedicated to deconstructing systemic violence in our society. We conduct educational outreach in the community, going to schools and post-secondary institutions to hold anti-violence workshops open to all genders to build communities free from violence.
Our Mission
We are a feminist, anti-oppressive, decolonizing rape crisis centre operating on unceded Coast Salish Territories. We provide support services to survivors of sexualized violence with shared experiences of gender oppression: women, Two-Spirit, trans, and/or non-binary people. We advocate for social and systemic change through education, outreach and activism.
Our Vision
A world where people of all genders are valued and live free from sexualized violence
Our Values
- We are accountable.
We respond to calls for action from the communities we serve and recognize our opportunities for growth. - We are non- judgemental.
We create spaces for survivors to define their needs without judgement. - We are inclusive.
We honour and centre different ways of being and knowing. - We are visionary.
We are leaders at the forefront of service provision and social change. - We are survivor-centred.
We honour that survivors are experts of their experiences and have the right to choose their own paths to healing
Our Programs and Services
WAVAW provides the following services to support survivors of sexual assault:
- One-to-one Counselling
- Support Groups
- 24- Hour Crisis Line
- 24-Hour hospital accompaniment
- Court and police accompaniment
- Indigenous specific services