Ontario’s universities recently received three reports from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities which outline some results from the 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey. This is an important survey that contributes to understanding the experiences of students and to further enhancing education, prevention and response to sexual violence on campuses.
Sexual violence is a broader societal problem and we know that people of university age have a greater likelihood of experiencing sexual assault or harassment. Within this demographic, individuals who experience intersecting forms of oppression, including but not limited to, Indigeneity, racialization, gender identity, religion, ability, and sexual orientation, are disproportionately affected by sexual violence. We are committed to ensuring a safe, supportive and healthy campus for everyone, and to providing full support to anyone directly affected by sexual violence.
Over the past year, Carleton University launched a number of initiatives, including a unique sexual consent training program with JR LaRose for varsity athletes and coaches, a Just Got Weird campaign with other Ottawa institutions, a new workshop on Community Approaches to Sexual Violence Prevention, our #CUrious campaign which offers an event each week for the first six weeks of classes, and collaboration with other organizations in the broader Ottawa community that seek to end gender-based violence.
Additionally, Carleton has recently revised its Sexual Violence Policy after extensive consultations with the community. Many of the feedback items identified throughout the consultation process of the policy have been used to develop a comprehensive campus sexual violence prevention strategy. This strategy outlines three years of prevention and education initiatives that came directly from members of the Carleton community.
Carleton remains committed to working with government, our partners in the sector and the community to ensure that our campuses are safe and respectful environments where students have access to the high-quality supports they need.
The Council of Ontario Universities has posted on their website a more thorough summary of the results and full reports from the ministry containing all survey responses.
Over the coming months, we will continue to use the data from the survey to inform additional prevention programming, campus-based supports and communications about sexual violence as part of our sexual violence prevention strategy. While these processes unfold, we encourage all students who experience any form of sexual violence to contact the Carleton Sexual Assault Support Centre at (613) 520-5622 or by visiting the Sexual Assault Support Centre in 3800 CTTC Building.
Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Campus News
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