Violence on Campuses

Ontario Conference:
Following on the success of the Montreal based November conference -Sexual Assault on Campus: Exposing the Truth, JWIC is planning a similar conference in Ontario. The goal is to bring together experts in the field, educators, researchers, students and survivors to explore the issue of Sexual Assault on Campus and to collaborate on prevention and educational vehicles to begin to change the statistics in this critical issue.

Please contact JWIC Executive Director Penny Krowitz 416-630-9313 for more information.

Violence against women on campus! Here in Canada! Anywhere?

The Canadian statistics are very frightening. Among college students, physical and sexual coercion ranges from 20-30%, and the estimates are even higher when verbal threats and emotional abuse are considered. According to the 1998 Canadian Campus Survey (CCS), which included a sample of 7,800 university undergraduate students, many students reported having experienced violence (and those experiences are likely to have included dating violence):

Dating violence among Canadian university and community college undergraduate students is common:

• Almost 35% of women surveyed indicated they had experienced at least one physical assault by a male dating partner
• 28% of the women reported that they had been sexually abused in the 12 months prior to the study
• 45% of the women said they had been sexually abused since leaving high school

Young people who engage in or are victimized by dating violence may be at increased risk for continuing to inflict or be victimized by violence as adults, in their intimate relationships, marriages and family lives. Addressing dating violence with young people may prevent future spousal abuse and other forms of family violence. To date, much of the response to dating violence in Canada has focused primarily on preventing dating violence through school-based education and awareness programs and campus-based campaigns and initiatives. These and other prevention strategies that recognize the role of gender in the experiences and consequences of dating violence, and that provide skills training to help young people avoid risky situations, are important. The availability of services and supports for victims is crucial.

The most common form of violence on campus is rape. One in six women attending college or university is a survivor of rape. Men and women students must work together to raise awareness about date rape, to challenge people's attitudes and behaviors, and to dispel common myths concerning the incidence and circumstances of sexual assault.

A national survey on the victimization of women on university and college campuses found that:

• 20% of female students said they gave into unwanted sexual intercourse because they were overwhelmed by a man’s continued arguments and pressure
• 6% of female students said that they had unwanted sexual intercourse because a man threatened or used some degree of physical force
• 13% of female students said that, when they were drunk or high, a man attempted unwanted sexual intercourse.

While there are no available statistics on the use of rape drugs in Canada, there have been reported incidents of the use of rape drugs. As well, there is evidence of cases in the United States and reports of seizures of rape drugs in Canada. It is difficult to track the incidence of drug- induced rape because it is much more difficult for the victim to accurately report the crime. Because the effects of the drug include black-out and memory loss, victims are unable to recall the details of the crime. Another problem is that the drugs can be difficult to detect in a person's system, depending on the length of time that the drugs remain in the system.

Women subject to abuse have high rates of physical illnesses:

• higher rates of pelvic inflammatory disease
• STDs including HIV/AIDS
• bladder infections
• chronic pelvic pain and other genitourinary problems
• gynaecological problems and higher rates of abnormal Pap tests
• Abused women also have higher rates of musculoskeletal pain and gastrointestinal disorders

Research has revealed a strong network of services already in place. All Canadian colleges have policy on the issue. All Canadian campuses have ombudsmen and counsellors, ready to speak to victims should the need arise. Some even have sexual harassment advisers. Some have women's centres. All colleges have safe walk programs. No woman need walk alone anywhere on campus. A few have security cameras and two way phones positioned throughout the campus. Many have workshops, ribbon campaigns, and safety audits to help women identify where they feel at risk, to help them create safer environments.

Women on campus have resources available to them if they are harassed or abused. For example;

At the Univ. of Calgary.

Campus resources include:

• Student Staffed Resources
• SASSL – Sexual Assault Survivor’s Support Line
• Provides peer support and referrals to survivors of sexual violence and to educate York and the surrounding community about sexual assault
www.yorku.ca/sassl -- 416 736 2100 x40345 -- sassl@yorku.ca


• Student Peer Support Centre
• A drop in or phone in service where students may talk to a peer counsellor in a confidential non-threatening environment.
www.yorku.ca/spsc -- 416-736-5494 -- spsc@yorku.ca

In Montreal at McGill University

• The McGill Domestic Violence Clinic is a state of the art training centre for graduate students. Its comprehensive treatment model addresses the complexities of the problem of violence against women. The clinic offers confidential counselling to individuals, couples and families as well as providing group treatment for men who batter and for women who have endured domestic violence. These services are provided free to battered women and are offered on a sliding scale to the men involved in the weekly treatment group.
• A sexual harassment office where one can make an appointment with a sexual harassment officer.

It is clear that despite the fact that studies have been done, resulting in training programs and other resources put into place on campus, the violence continues. The structures are in place, the policies, women's centres, counsellors, sexual harassment advisors but the attitudes have not changed. The final sad fact is that women are still unsafe on Canadian campuses. Only then, when societal attitudes change about women, will young Canadian women be safe on their campuses.

JWIC is planning a conference on this issue in early November in Montreal. This conference is intended to bring together direct service providers, educators, law enforcement officials, students and members of the legal profession to share best practices and to learn more about this critical issue affecting young women on our campuses. For more information or to become involved in this important conference, contact info@jwicanada.com.