Project Medusa
A survivor-led plan for systemic change that confronts how harm is rewritten, credibility is stripped, and prevention is delayed, and works to redesign those system.
WE ARE
The Survivor Collective
We are a survivor-led group formed to change the systems that continue to mishandle sexual violence.
We came together because we saw the same failures repeating across different experiences and stages.
Some of us have spent years navigating these systems. Others are only just beginning.
All of us have lived through sexual violence and through the consequences of how institutions respond to it.
We are all aligned on the same conclusion: the system does not change or learn from harm unless it’s forced to.
Project Medusa
The Five Areas of Action
1
Expose System Harm
We expose system harm through documentation and pattern analysis so failures can’t be denied, dismissed, or repeated.
2
Build Accountability Evidence
We convert repeated breakdowns into evidence used to pressure institutions toward accountability and change.
3
Correct Power Imbalances
We enforce survivor-controlled consent to prevent exploitation and rebalance power across advocacy, media, and systems.
4
Name Post-System Consequences
We track post-case outcomes to surface long-term harm and force recognition beyond formal process endings.
5
Interrupt Future Harm
We identify escalation and repeat-risk patterns early to trigger intervention before further harm occurs.
The Harm Is Real and the Impact Is Systemic
Sexual violence causes immediate and long-lasting harm to individuals, families, and communities. That harm is often compounded by the systems meant to respond. Systems that are slow, fragmented, and focused on processing cases rather than preventing future harm.
Individual Harm That Doesn’t End
Survivors experience lasting effects across health, work, relationships, and stability — often long after formal processes conclude.
Systems That Deepen the Damage
Delays, inconsistency, and lack of coordination amplify stress, risk, and isolation instead of reducing them.
Public Safety Left Unaddressed
When systems fail to recognize patterns or learn from outcomes, repeat harm remains undetected and unprevented.
Trust Erodes
Survivors disengage, communities lose confidence, and institutions become less effective over time.
The Cost Is Shifted to Individuals
Survivors absorb the emotional, financial, and social consequences of system failure, while institutions move on.
The Reality of Sexual Assault Prosecution in Canada
Sexual assault cases are among the most underreported and least successfully prosecuted crimes in our nation. Survivors navigating the justice system encounter a labyrinth of obstacles that compound their trauma rather than provide healing or closure.
Long Delays
Extended waiting periods between reporting and case resolution leave survivors in prolonged states of uncertainty and anxiety
High Dismissal Rates
Cases are frequently dismissed based on subjective credibility assessments rather than comprehensive evidence review
Fragmented Systems
Poor communication between police, Crown prosecutors, and victim services creates confusion and gaps in support
Zero Accountability
Little transparency exists around case outcomes, with minimal mechanisms for systemic oversight or improvement
Project Medusa is how we fight back against a system that has failed to protect, failed to learn, and failed to change.
It is a collective act of reclaiming power, transforming harm into evidence, silence into pressure, and experience into prevention. This work is not just for us, but for every survivor who deserves a system that does better.
Who We Serve
We Serve Survivors Who Are
Considering Reporting
Weighing options and needing information
Actively Navigating Justice
Currently involved in legal proceedings
Recently or Historically Involved
After case conclusion seeking support
Beyond Immediate Crisis
Ready for education and agency work
We Also Serve
Justice stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers through public education, transparent reporting, and evidence-based recommendations that drive systemic reform.
We also engage institutions and environments where prevention and accountability can reduce future harm, including:
- Schools and universities
- Campus safety platforms
- Nightlife and other high-risk social environments
- Media, advocacy, and public-facing institutions influencing survivor exposure
Important Service Boundaries
We do not serve clients in immediate crisis. Our model requires that survivors have capacity to engage thoughtfully with process navigation or healing education.
When needs fall outside our scope, we provide referrals to appropriate services.
The Founding Collective
We are survivors, researchers, and leaders working together to confront system failure and prevent harm from repeating.
Justine Hopkins
Jayden Posen
Melissa Heaton
Sarah Jezek
Our Mission
To change the systems that allow harm to repeat by turning lived experience into research, prevention, and real accountability.
Our Vision
A future where systems learn from harm, prevent it earlier, and no longer rely on survivors to carry the cost of failure.
How You Can Support Our Work
The Survivor Collective is in an early but deliberate build phase, establishing governance, launching Project Medusa, and laying the foundations for long-term system change. This is the moment where the right support shapes what becomes possible.
Board & Governance Leaders
We are seeking board members with governance, legal, financial, or institutional experience to steward survivor-led work with care and independence.
Strategic Partners & Community Allies
We seek aligned partners to collaborate on prevention and system reform. We invite those committed to long-term change to support this work.
Media & Cultural Platforms
We welcome thoughtful media and cultural partners aligned with our values.
Founding Donors & Funders
We are raising unrestricted funds to support research, infrastructure, and Project Medusa.
Contact us at :
Join the Survivor Collective
For survivors who choose connection, solidarity, and agency —
with full control over visibility, boundaries, and voice.
with full control over visibility, boundaries, and voice.
Email us at team.project.medusa@gmail.com
The System Can No Longer Look Away
Our work turns lived experience into evidence, evidence into prevention, and prevention into lasting system reform.
Every decision we make is guided by ethics, safety, and accountability, and by a commitment to build something that lasts longer than any single case or moment.
This is how power is reclaimed.
This is how systems are forced to change.
This is how systems are forced to change.
