A new report just obtained by Metro News pinpoints exactly how ill-equipped and ineffective Canadian universities have been at dealing with sexual violence on campus.
The report, titled “The Response to Sexual Violence at Ontario University Campuses,” is being touted as the most comprehensive report on sexual violence on college campuses in Canada. In a total of 56 pages, it singles out five areas of concern and makes 18 recommendations to fix them, including the creation of anonymous sexual violence reporting systems on campuses and an independent oversight body to review universities’ responses.
The research is the result of four-month independent investigation funded by the Ontario government that calls for “massive change” in how schools handle this type of violence.
Part of this massive change starts at the top; the report suggests Ontario’s Bill 32, the sexual assault bill that has formed the basis of similar bills in B.C. and Manitoba, may be causing schools to focus resources in the wrong places.
The report found five areas of concern:
1. There are pervasive rape myths on campuses and staff often blame victims or discount their stories. The common university “risk-management approach” frames survivors as a problem to be solved.
2. Survivor-centered policies, while intended to give victims of sexual violence agency, actually function to silence rape on campus.
3. “Institutional silos” at schools create a “frustrating bureaucratic nightmare” for survivors and, at worst, “justify inaction by respective units throughout the university.”
4. A broad lack of education for students and training for staff on healthy sexuality and sexual violence perpetuates rape myths.
5. Survivor resources are both difficult to access and poorly staffed.
“In the 20 years I worked on violence against women, this is the first moment in history where I’ve felt like maybe we have a chance,” says Dawn Moore, the principal investigator on the report. “This research may help us identify gaps and potential best practices and support the development of tools to improve police responses and investigations across the province.”
