With a goal to encourage victims to speak out, the Quebec government announced Sunday it has launched the third phase of its awareness campaign against sexual assault.

The government says it intends to spread the message about the long-lasting effects of assault on victims with a series of striking television and Internet ads.

Potential consequences of sexual assault can include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • Alcohol or drug abuse

Many victims keep the abuse a secret, and if they don't break their silence, they're more like to suffer those consequences, said Christine St. Pierre, the minister for responsible for the status of women.

As much as 81 per cent of sexual assault victims know their aggressor and nearly 70 per cent of the time the abuse takes place in a private residence, Quebec government statistics show.

Girls under 18 make up the 53 per cent of those who report assaults, while 30 per cent are women over 18. Men aren't excluded from sexual assault, either: 15 per cent are boys under 18, and 2 per cent are men over 18.

Justice Minister Kathleen Weil said the government is pushing for tougher punishment for sex offenders.

"The criminal code gives enough latitude (for harsher sentences). We can't impose it - the judges are independent. But judges are very sensitive to these kinds of messages, to the realities. It's really up to the prosecutor to make his case, or her case," she said.

For more information on sexual assault issues or to report abuse, click here.