WARNING: This article contains details of a criminal sexual assault trial involving people in positions of power and may be disturbing to some readers. If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual violence, contact the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society at (250) 763-4613 or the RCMP.
An Indigenous Elder who worked as a Traditional Indigenous Healer with the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society has been sentenced to one year in jail for sexually assaulting a woman who trusted him with her care.
On May 13, Justice Briana Hardwick read her sentencing decision to a 麻豆精选 courtroom, and Camille, who was found guilty of one count of sexual assault, was taken into custody.
Joseph Camille was initially charged with two counts of sexual assault but Justice Hardwick acquitted Camille of one of the charges.
He was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to one year in prison after a 'traditional healing' appointment in 2021, during which he placed his hands on a woman's breasts and kissed her without consent. After his release, Camille will be subject to an additional 540 days of probation.
The identities of the survivors who testified in the trial are protected under a court-ordered publication ban and cannot be published.
In addition to the criminal conviction, Camille is named in two civil lawsuits, which remain before the courts.
At the time of the offences Camille was contracted and supervised by the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society(KFS), which is a non-profit charitable organization that works to assist and promote the needs of Indigenous People in 麻豆精选.
In addition to working with adults, Camille performed 'traditional healing' work with children who were in the care of the Ministry of Child and Family Development, employees of KFS, and members of the community who were predominantly Indigenous.
One survivor, here referred to as Jane Doe, testified in the trial and has filed a civil suit against Camille alleging that an appointment left her with bruising to her genitals, breasts, inner legs, and buttocks. Doe alleges that without her consent, Camille "pushed" inside and around her vaginal area. She told the court that before her appointment began, she outlined the kind of healing she was hoping to receive.
Doe testified that she immediately reported the alleged assault to the KFS executive director, but claims that no action was taken and said Camille was allowed to continue working with young, vulnerable children.
At sentencing, Camille was acquitted of the criminal sexual assault charge relating to Doe's testimony. Justice Hardwick's reasons had not yet been published at the time of this article's writing.
In the civil lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of B.C., Doe claims that "KFS allowed Camille's reputation and Elder status within the Indigenous community to blind their eyes to the obvious abuse of staff and other Indigenous community members."
A second survivor who will be referred to as Jane Joe, took the stand during the trial and testified that during her healing appointment, Camille asked her repeatedly if she was "in a kissy mood" and made several other comments that she characterized as unusual.
Joe has also filed a lawsuit against Camille in the Supreme Court of B.C.
Joe told the court that during the appointment Camille placed his hands directly on both of her breasts and said that he was going to "heal her broken heart," which made her uncomfortable. She said Camille also kissed her neck without her consent at the end of the appointment. She testified that she had seen numerous Indigenous Healers in the past and none had acted in the way Camille did during that appointment.
Joe said that weeks later, a group of multiple women 鈥� including Doe and Joe 鈥� all claiming to have experienced abuse or misconduct from Camille were brought together for a meeting by the KFS executive director.
She said that even after the meeting KFS still did not take action against Camille. Both Doe and Joe then filed reports with the 麻豆精选 RCMP in August 2021. Their lawsuits were filed months later.
Camille pleaded not guilty to both criminal charges and in a filed response to the lawsuits, denied all allegations that his healing practices were used as a "ruse" of some sort to perform sexual assault.
Camille maintains that he is a professional Indigenous Healer and heals through "unconventional massage treatments."
