Trigger warning: This article contains sexual assault information that may affect some readers.
One sexual assault at Dalhousie is one too many.
Yet we know that it happens. One in four women nationally will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime, and Nova Scotia has the highest rate of sexual assault per capita in the country. Given that the majority of sexual assaults target females between the ages of 13 and 25, the university population is particularly vulnerable.
Traditionally, Dalhousie has not publicly released statistics about sexual assaults on campus, for a number of reasons, largely to respect the confidentiality of those coming forward. We know that sexual assaults are underreported in society, and according to Stats Canada, 88 per cent of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Dalhousie’s Office of Human Rights, Equity and Harassment Prevention works very hard in encouraging those who have experienced sexual assault to come forward so they can access the supports that are available. The office promises confidentiality whenever possible.
They believe it is critically important to increase the safe and confidential reporting of sexual assaults on campus.
“Our goal is to maintain an environment that is safe for everyone in our community and free of discrimination, harassment and assault,” says Lisa Delong, human rights and equity advisor. “We want to see increased reporting of sexual assaults so we have a full understanding of the issue on our campuses. So while our goal is prevention, we also need to make sure we are reaching those students who are victims and offering them the supports that are available and better understanding how we can direct preventative programs.”
So the issue is two-pronged: reduce the number of assaults and increase the number of assaults that are reported.
Recently, Dalhousie shared the number of sexual assaults reported on our campuses through a Freedom of Information, Protection of Privacy request. To ensure there is no confusion on the numbers and what they represent, the university has decided to share them with the broader Dal community, as well as highlight some of the work Dalhousie continues to do around sexual assault and issues of consent.
Those numbers are:
| Behaviour | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual assault | 8 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 38 |
So why is it that the university believes these numbers — sexual assaults reported on campus — don’t reflect the actual number of incidences?
In the spring of 2013 the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services published the largest amount of data ever collected on the health of Canadian post-secondary students, including their anonymous responses to questions around sexual assault. The data shows that the percentage of incidences of behaviours that would constitute sexual assault are extremely similar between Dalhousie and other Canadian universities.
“What this says to us is that Dalhousie is not experiencing a greater incidence of sexual assault compared to the other Canadian universities in this data,” says Delong, “but we have heard that we may have a larger number of students coming forward than some of the other universities.”
Delong feels the larger number of students coming forward at Dalhousie can be attributed to the leadership role the university has taken around the issue of sexual assault on campus. Delong and colleagues in the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Harassment Prevention provide advice on reporting options, internally and externally, as well as information referrals for all four campuses (both Halifax and Truro).
The university has had a Sexual Harassment Policy in place since 1999 that addresses sexual assault. This gives Dalhousie a strong framework to respond to issues around sexual harassment and assault. Many universities are just in the beginning stages of this work.
Dalhousie’s Sexual Response Guidelines (Halifax and Truro) for faculty, staff and student leaders outlines how to respond to and provide support to victims.
“If someone is sexually assaulted, they may come to our office, but chances are they are going to disclose to a friend, a professor, etc.,” says Delong. “So we want to make sure everyone has access to a protocol on how to respond in a way that’s not going to further harm the person coming forward and offers the help that they can access.”
First Responder training is available for security officers, staff in the office of Human Rights, Equity and Harassment Prevention and Residence Life Managers. This ensures front-line staff at the university is able to minimize trauma, take reports in a supportive way, and make referrals. Additional training on how to respond is given to hundreds of members of the Dal community across campus each year, including residence assistants, and student orientation leaders. Medical care and counselling services on campus can provide support for those students who have experienced sexual assault, and South House Sexual and Gender Resource Centre on campus can also offer support, resources and advice.
“We also work very hard with our colleagues across campus in conducting
preventative outreach campaigns,” says Delong. “We want to generate awareness and dialogue about issues of consent and sexual assault and we want to change societal norms to reduce the incidents of sexual assault on campus. We reach our community about these campaigns through face-to-face training, events, social media, materials such as posters and brochures and direct emails to students. This allows us to reach thousands of students each year.”
Delong also suggests those looking for more information should visit Dalhousie’s Get Consent website, which offers information on support services available on campus and across the community.
“We’re here to help,” says Delong. “When students do report an assault, either to our office, to Dal Security or another unit on campus, we’re here to provide support, to make sure the student is safe and to chat about the next steps that student may wish to take.”
Editor's note: An original version of this story had an incorrect calculation in its accompanying graphic (under "Reporting Numbers," the percentage was listed as "0.0008" instead of "0.08"). It has now been corrected.
Due to the sensitive nature of this subject and out of respect for those who have or may come forward, we have decided to disable comments. Feedback can be send directly to hrehp@dal.ca.