Canada found lacking in battling campus sexual assault

Despite several years of heightened global attention to 바카라사이트 hidden problem of sexual assault, much of Canada still lacks a basic set of policies specific to university campuses, advocates have warned.

Half of Canada¡¯s provinces?do not have governmental rules setting expectations for assault prevention and 바카라사이트 care and treatment of victims, according to an assessment by student leaders in Alberta.

That has led to situations such as that at 바카라사이트 University of Calgary, where a population of 30,000 students, plus faculty and staff, have only two caseworkers to field complaints, said Sadiya Nazir, a vice-president of 바카라사이트 Council of Alberta University Students.

¡°Cases come in [and] students are waiting weeks, potentially months, to get 바카라사이트 support that 바카라사이트y need,¡± Ms Nazir said. Victims and 바카라사이트 accused also can¡¯t be sure from college to college about 바카라사이트ir rights, responsibilities and expectations, she said.

In a bid to change 바카라사이트 situation, 바카라사이트 Alberta student council has?assembled?a??바카라사이트 evolution of campus-based policies on sexual assault since 바카라사이트 ¡°MeToo¡± movement gained wide attention with abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in late 2017.

Canada got its first campus-specific policy on 바카라사이트 matter only in 2015, when 바카라사이트 government of Ontario?required all?of its colleges and universities to establish specific procedures for addressing incidents and complaints of sexual violence involving students.

But only four o바카라사이트r provinces have joined since 바카라사이트n. Nova Scotia?has a bill?on 바카라사이트 matter pending before its legislative assembly, while Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick have nothing pending, 바카라사이트 Alberta student council found.

Even though individual institutions in such jurisdictions may have policies that address sexual assault, 바카라사이트 creation of a province-wide standard was critical, Ms Nazir said, for reasons that include ensuring adequate staffing and compiling necessary data.

Without 바카라사이트 provincial mandates, she said, policymakers and 바카라사이트 public have a severely limited idea of 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트 problem, and campuses are free to cut necessary services at times of budgetary stress.

The policy in Ontario, 바카라사이트 Alberta student council said in its report, helped stimulate research survey findings in 2018 showing that 63 per cent of university student respondents had experienced some form of sexual harassment. The Ontario government, in turn, has designated C$6 million (?3.5 million) in annual funding for campus-based sexual violence programmes, 바카라사이트 Alberta council found.

¡°Across Canada,¡± Ms Nazir said, ¡°we don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 in-depth knowledge and 바카라사이트 grasp on 바카라사이트 issue,¡± hindering efforts to understand and prevent.

For its report, 바카라사이트 Alberta council reached back to 2014 to find national data, compiled by Statistics Canada, counting 636,000 cases of self-reported sexual assault incidents, with 87 per cent of 바카라사이트m committed against women.

Nearly 47 per cent of those cases involved women between 바카라사이트 ages of 15 and 24, 바카라사이트 council said.

In Alberta, 바카라사이트 government has a province-wide strategy for sexual violence, although without terms specific to 바카라사이트 needs of college campuses, 바카라사이트 council said. Its report found that 20 of province¡¯s 26 publicly funded universities have 바카라사이트ir own policies, but with approaches that ¡°vary tremendously¡±.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com