Student Organizations Across Canada Collaborate To Tackle Post-Secondary Sexual Violence

For Immediate Release

Halifax, NS – Today, student organizations across the country released a joint publication on campus sexual violence, titled, Shared Perspectives: A Joint Publication on Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response.

In the publication, students from Victoria to Charlottetown express the need to eradicate sexual violence on their campuses. It includes contributions from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), Alliance of BC Students (ABCS), the College Student Alliance (CSA), the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), Union étudiante du Québec (UEQ), New Brunswick Student Alliance (NBSA), Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS), and the University of Prince Edward Island Student Union (UPEISU).

“Combating sexual violence on post-secondary campuses is a pressing national concern,” said StudentsNS Executive Director Tristan Bray. “This collaborative report demonstrates the responsibility that we all share in order to make campuses safe for every student across Canada.”

The publication identifies challenges and opportunities that exist in individual provinces, but also highlights sexual violence as a national problem that all jurisdictions must work to solve. Shared Perspectives provides an understanding of the issues students experience, and emphasizes how we must work together at all levels to end sexual violence on post-secondary campuses across Canada.

Students experience sexual violence as both a systemic issue and a gendered crime, in which women are far more likely to be victimized. Women with disabilities, Indigenous women, LGBTQ+ students, and women of marginalized groups all face much higher risk of experiencing such crimes. The partners in this publication believe no one should ever experience sexual violence, especially when pursuing an education. In sharp contrast to this belief, 1 in 5 female students will experience sexual violence during their post-secondary studies. Additionally, roughly two-thirds of sexual assaults on post-secondary campuses will occur within the first 8 weeks of school. Students are a vulnerable group, and this publication illustrates how essential partnership is in combating the current campus reality and building safer communities.

“For the safety of their students, post-secondary institutions need to be championing sexual violence prevention measures and response strategies,” said StudentsNS Chair Annie Sirois. “We are calling for our peers, faculty, administration, and governments to recognize the severity of sexualized violence on post-secondary campuses and commit to enacting change. Shared Perspectives offers an insightful and detailed look at the realities that exist on campuses across the country, and offers well-researched and realistic recommendations.”

Shared Perspectives: A Joint Publication on Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response is the first joint report from all 8 partners, representing over 570,000 students.

Read the full report: here.

For more information, contact:
Tristan Bray, Executive Director
director@studentsns.ca
403-837-9967