Discussion:
Sexual violence on campuses is by no means a new phenomenon, however the mishandling of sexual violence reports has become a norm throughout BC post-secondary institutions. Several The cycle of sexual violence is being facilitated by universities due to their lack of accountability and transparency. Many universities lack stand alone sexual violence policies and instead slot them into a general student code of conduct (Marshall, 2016). It is essential that all post-secondary institutions have a clear process to respond to and address incidents of sexual violence. Universities have more extensive policies to address academic dishonesty, then sexual violence occurring on campus. By not having direct and concise policies the process of addressing sexual assault cases gets diluted. Sexual assault allegations need to be handled in a consistent manner through a centralized system. Ultimately, a standalone policy will mandate a way in which cases need to be dealt with and create some uniformity in the process. Bill 23 is an essential step in addressing the sexual violence crisis happening on campus. By requiring post-secondary institutions to draft stand alone policies, this will help repair the broken systems of dealing with sexual violence. There is a dire need for universities and colleges to have clear and concise policies that outline expected behaviours, practices and standards. Effective policies that are well communicated help contribute to an environment where victims of sexual violence are well supported and perpetrators are held accountable (Gunraj, A, Celia, W, et al., 2014,6). Currently a culture of silence exists on university campuses, where sexual assault victims are encouraged to keep quiet. For example, a student at the University of Victoria, who filed a sexual assault complaint, was warned to stay quite about the findings of the school’s investigation (Kane, 2016c). Student’s need to know that they will be supported if they come forward with accusations, and that these accusations will be properly looked into. Time and time again schools have failed to investigate student’s reports in a timely manner and provide the necessary support for the victim (Del Gobbo, 2016). Bill 23 requires formalized procedures on how a school will respond to incidents of sexual misconduct. This will ensure that posts-secondary institutions are acting in accordance with their legal mandates and providing victims with adequate support. There is no one standard sexual violence policy that will work for all post-secondary institutions. Bill 23 allows each individual school to tailor policies to meet the specific needs of their community (Del Gobbo, 2016). These policies will ensure post-secondary institutions are forthright about the procedures associated with their individual policies. Considering how long sexual violence has been plaguing university campuses it has taken an extended period of time for post-secondary institutions and the …show more content…
The first recommendation is to acknowledge faulty, staff and visitors to post-secondary campuses, in any stand alone sexual assault policy established by BC post-secondary institutions. The second recommendation requires universities and colleges to make their statistics on campus crimes public, additionally they would be required to collect statics from a broad range of campus officials (Engle, 2015, 404). This would include, but is not limited to collecting data from resident advisors, athletic coaches, local law enforcement, campus security, professors and deans. This recommendation combines components of United States’ Clergy Act and the SAVE Act (Engle, 2015, 404). This would increase transparency and limit the ability of universities to report zero sexual assaults or not release data at all. The third recommendation is to require the implementation of a coordinated approach to the prevention and intervention of sexual assaults on campus. This would include not only policies but a variety of other resources. Additional resources like sexual support centers, education initiatives, and bystander training. Education initiatives could include bystander intervention training, sexual violence prevention and awareness campaigns. There should also be in depth training for all staff who works with sexual assault survivors. The final recommendation requires addressing the underlying societal norms and structures that normalize and perpetuate rape culture. If rape culture and the structures underpinning it are not confronted sexual violence will continue to occur in society and on campus. There is no easy solution to rape culture, but society needs to stop blaming victims of sexual assault and sexually objectifying bodies. Comparatively, hyper masculinization and systemic and institutional support of rape
Sexual violence on campuses is by no means a new phenomenon, however the mishandling of sexual violence reports has become a norm throughout BC post-secondary institutions. Several The cycle of sexual violence is being facilitated by universities due to their lack of accountability and transparency. Many universities lack stand alone sexual violence policies and instead slot them into a general student code of conduct (Marshall, 2016). It is essential that all post-secondary institutions have a clear process to respond to and address incidents of sexual violence. Universities have more extensive policies to address academic dishonesty, then sexual violence occurring on campus. By not having direct and concise policies the process of addressing sexual assault cases gets diluted. Sexual assault allegations need to be handled in a consistent manner through a centralized system. Ultimately, a standalone policy will mandate a way in which cases need to be dealt with and create some uniformity in the process. Bill 23 is an essential step in addressing the sexual violence crisis happening on campus. By requiring post-secondary institutions to draft stand alone policies, this will help repair the broken systems of dealing with sexual violence. There is a dire need for universities and colleges to have clear and concise policies that outline expected behaviours, practices and standards. Effective policies that are well communicated help contribute to an environment where victims of sexual violence are well supported and perpetrators are held accountable (Gunraj, A, Celia, W, et al., 2014,6). Currently a culture of silence exists on university campuses, where sexual assault victims are encouraged to keep quiet. For example, a student at the University of Victoria, who filed a sexual assault complaint, was warned to stay quite about the findings of the school’s investigation (Kane, 2016c). Student’s need to know that they will be supported if they come forward with accusations, and that these accusations will be properly looked into. Time and time again schools have failed to investigate student’s reports in a timely manner and provide the necessary support for the victim (Del Gobbo, 2016). Bill 23 requires formalized procedures on how a school will respond to incidents of sexual misconduct. This will ensure that posts-secondary institutions are acting in accordance with their legal mandates and providing victims with adequate support. There is no one standard sexual violence policy that will work for all post-secondary institutions. Bill 23 allows each individual school to tailor policies to meet the specific needs of their community (Del Gobbo, 2016). These policies will ensure post-secondary institutions are forthright about the procedures associated with their individual policies. Considering how long sexual violence has been plaguing university campuses it has taken an extended period of time for post-secondary institutions and the …show more content…
The first recommendation is to acknowledge faulty, staff and visitors to post-secondary campuses, in any stand alone sexual assault policy established by BC post-secondary institutions. The second recommendation requires universities and colleges to make their statistics on campus crimes public, additionally they would be required to collect statics from a broad range of campus officials (Engle, 2015, 404). This would include, but is not limited to collecting data from resident advisors, athletic coaches, local law enforcement, campus security, professors and deans. This recommendation combines components of United States’ Clergy Act and the SAVE Act (Engle, 2015, 404). This would increase transparency and limit the ability of universities to report zero sexual assaults or not release data at all. The third recommendation is to require the implementation of a coordinated approach to the prevention and intervention of sexual assaults on campus. This would include not only policies but a variety of other resources. Additional resources like sexual support centers, education initiatives, and bystander training. Education initiatives could include bystander intervention training, sexual violence prevention and awareness campaigns. There should also be in depth training for all staff who works with sexual assault survivors. The final recommendation requires addressing the underlying societal norms and structures that normalize and perpetuate rape culture. If rape culture and the structures underpinning it are not confronted sexual violence will continue to occur in society and on campus. There is no easy solution to rape culture, but society needs to stop blaming victims of sexual assault and sexually objectifying bodies. Comparatively, hyper masculinization and systemic and institutional support of rape