By the time a woman finishes a four-year undergraduate university program in North America she has a one in four chance of experiencing sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. “I don’t think people realize just how common this is,” says Dusty Johnstone an educator at the University of Windsor who teaches prevention of sexual assault.
ListenSexual assault is more likely on campus than in the general population. That may be because students are in the age group most likely to suffer sexual violence, there is more alcohol which can be a contributing factor, and students may be away from their social support systems which normally would offer some protection, says Johnstone.
Incidents provoke action
Two players from the University of Ottawa’s hockey team will be in court September 30th to face sexual assault charges. This and other incidents have brought the issue of rape on campus to national attention. Last year orientation celebrations at two universities included students chanting about and lauding sex without consent. Administrators promised action.
Various initiatives seek to tackle the problem. The University of Windsor has a Bystander Program based on the idea that everyone can interrupt and prevent sexual assault. It offers courses to first and second-year students that are part of the curriculum.
‘We need to change the culture’
Other universities use social media and workshops to raise awareness and increase prevention. The challenge, says Johnstone, is to attract students other than those who are already interested in the problem. “If we want to actually see a change in sexual violence, we need to change the culture that supports it. What that means is that we need a critical mass when it comes to changes in attitudes and behaviours around this issue. We need to be reaching out to a significant number of our students.”
Resources scarce
Administrators may not have the experience to deal with sexual assault, says Johnstone, so universities need to develop policies and procedures to guide their responses to such situations.
“I do think that the cultural consciousness around this issue is changing. In the last year I’ve noticed a much more significant national discourse about the issue,” says Johnstone, adding the key now is for universities find scarce resources to put programs and policies in place to try to prevent sexual assaults on campus.
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