An Inuk soldier who served in Afghanistan says she endured a decade of racism and sexism in the Canadian Forces, and became suicidal after an alleged sexual assault.
Cpl. Esther Wolki was kissing a man in a washroom at a house party near CFB Shilo in Manitoba about six months ago when he overpowered her.
She says she cried for help, but no one came to her rescue.
After the alleged assault, she says male soldiers gave high-fives to the accused.
Police took three soldiers into custody but they were released without charge.
Wolki says her base commander didn’t take her accusation seriously.
“They will only hear other people’s stories and not mine,” she told her sister back home in Paulatuk, the Northwest Territories Inuit community where she was raised.
Wolki then slit her wrists in a suicide attempt, but was saved because she didn’t lock the door and someone found her in time.
She was prescribed anti-depressant medication and returned to work.
Now, on the hour-long drive from her home to the base each day, she worries, “Am I going to make it through the day?”
Wolki’s story comes just days after an external review confirmed rampant sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces.
Former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps found an underlying sexualized culture that can lead to sexual assault and discourage reporting.
One of Deschamps recommendations was the creation an independent agency to handle reports of sexual misconduct and provide support to victims.
Deschamps noted the U.S., Australia and France all have reporting mechanisms that exist outside the army chain of command.
The military has opted to raise awareness about the issue through a tour of army bases that stopped in Montreal on Monday.
Maj-Gen. Christine Whitecross, who is leading the tour, says the goal is “to create the climate where our military men and women feel free to speak and have the confidence to speak to their chain of command."
With a report from CTV’s Richard Madan
