Dr. Jodie Murphy Helps People in Crisis

Content Warning: This story contains discussion of sexual violence.

OVERVIEW:

• Social Work Professor Dr. Jodie Murphy's research is aimed at improving the treatment of sexual assault survivors in the aftermath of assaults
• Dr. Murphy is one of the authors of the recent research paper, "Not Without Judgment," which explores how sociocultural barriers prevent survivors in northwestern Ontario from accessing sexual assault evidence kits (SAEKs)
• A new five-year study is being launched to investigate the handling of sexual assault evidence kits across Ontario to understand how kits are being used and to address gaps in the health care and criminal justice systems

Sexual Assault Survivors Face Bias and Barriers to Accessing Care

Dr. Jodie Murphy's research team is helping sexual assault survivors receive better medical care and fairer treatment from the Canadian criminal justice system.

A social work professor, Dr. Murphy, and her research team began researching sexual violence in 2020 after being approached by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

"They asked me to investigate high rates of 'unfounded sexual assaults,' hoping to better understand and address this serious issue," Dr. Murphy says.

"Sexual assault can happen to anyone, but if survivors don't fit the criteria of a perfect victim, their credibility is often questioned."

Dr. Murphy's initial contact with the OPP led to research with police organizations across Canada, as well as sexual assault survivors, to gain insight from both survivors and police regarding what happens in unfounded sexual assault cases.

Her research team includes Lakehead School of Nursing Professor Dr. Karen McQueen, Lakehead sessional lecturer and nurse Ainsley Miller, and Lakehead Women's Studies Professor Dr. Lori Chambers.

What is Unfounded Sexual Assault?

A sexual assault is deemed unfounded when a police investigation determines that a sexual assault allegation is false or baseless, and that the survivor is not being truthful.

"A large number of survivors, however, told us that their cases hadn't been fully investigated, yet they were still dismissed as unfounded. When this happens, there's no justice or recourse for survivors," Dr. Murphy says.

Dr. Jodie Murphy completed bachelor's and master's social work degrees at Lakehead. She returned to Lakehead in 2015 when she was hired as a professor with the School of Social Work. "It feels like I've come full circle." Photo Credit: Dan Garrity Media

Survivors also frequently reported that the police investigation felt like a secondary victimization. In fact, Dr. Murphy's research with survivors found that police officers often believe in rape myths, resulting in sexual assaults being improperly investigated.

"Many officers, and the general public, still think that rapes are committed by strangers in dark alleys, but in most cases, assaults are committed in private spaces by someone the survivor knows," Dr. Murphy says.

"Sexual assault can happen to anyone, but if survivors don't fit the criteria of a perfect victim, their credibility is often questioned."

The team's research with police officers found that "many police officers wanted better sexual assault training and were passionate about fixing issues in the system," Dr. Murphy says. Organizational constraints in police organizations often create barriers to sexual assault investigations.

Not Without Judgment

Dr. Murphy is one of the authors of the newly released research paper, "Not Without Judgment," which looks at sociocultural barriers that prevent sexual assault victims in rural and remote northwestern Ontario from accessing sexual assault evidence kits (SAEKs).

Dr. Murphy worked with McGill Master of Science student Sydney Timmermans (the study's lead author) and McGill Family Medicine Research Director Dr. Kathleen Rice on this project.

"We investigated the kind of sexual-assault care that victims received when they went to hospital emergency rooms," Dr. Murphy explains.

People who've been sexually assaulted once are more likely to be assaulted again, especially if they're vulnerable. "Survivors have also told us that they start to lose the ability to see red flags because of the trauma," Dr. Murphy says. Photo Credit: Pixabay from Pexels

The study found that hospital staff often weren't properly trained in administering SAEKs, which are used to collect DNA and forensic evidence to help prove assaults.

These intrusive examinations can take up to three hours to complete, but they're crucial because they can lead to sexual assault convictions. In addition, convicted offenders' DNA is entered into a national crime database, which helps identify serial offenders and prevent future assaults.

Inexperience in administering SAEKs was compounded by biases held by some healthcare professionals.

"The study found that Indigenous women were more likely to be disbelieved and denied access to SAEKs than non-Indigenous women," Dr. Murphy says. "Survivors who were intoxicated when they came to the emergency room and survivors who hadn't contacted the police were also less likely to receive a SAEK."

Major New Study into Sexual Assault Evidence Kits

Dr. Murphy and her research team are now embarking on a groundbreaking five-year study looking at how sexual assault evidence kits are used across Ontario.

"There's very little Canadian evidence about SAEKs," Dr. Murphy says.

There's a network of Ontario sexual assault centres skilled in collecting sexual assault evidence kits. Many smaller and remote communities, however, don't have these centres, forcing survivors to go to emergency rooms to have testing done. Photo Credit: Pexels/Chokniti Khongchum

She and her research team will look at the processes and decisions of nurses, doctors, police, and prosecutors, who handle SAEKs.

They'll examine how kits are collected, processed, and used, as well as how healthcare and criminal justice professionals communicate with each other about these kits.

"Our research will identify gaps in systems so that survivors healing from the trauma of sexual assault can find justice," Dr. Murphy says.

Dr. Jodie Murphy's research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.