More than one-third of people who study or work at Quebec universities, or 36.9 per cent, have been the victim of at least one form of sexual violence committed by another person affiliated with the university, a new study made public on Monday has found.
An independent team of researchers with the support of the Réseau québécois en études féministes, Université du Québec à Montréal’s community services office and the Regroupement québécois des centres d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel launched the study on sexual violence on university campuses, a first of its kind in Quebec, in 2014.
Working with a broad definition of sexual violence, the study examined different types of violence, including sexual assault, exhibitionism, peeping, sexual harassment, cyber-harassment, unwanted touching, threat of sexual assault, sexual blackmail and different types of unwanted or non-consensual sexual behaviour.
More than one-quarter of respondents, or 24.7 per cent, reported they were the victim of at least one form of sexual violence on a university campus during the previous 12 months. Moreover, of those reporting they had faced sexual violence, 41.8 per cent said they had experienced two or three forms of sexual violence.
Certain social groups appear to be more exposed to sexual violence at university, notably women, individuals belonging to a sexual minority or gender minority, people with a disability or health problem that affects their daily life, and foreign students.
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More than one-third of people who declared they were a victim of sexual violence on a university campus never reported it. That’s why, the study found, victims rarely receive aid and the acts are never punished.
More than 9,200 people participated in the research, 70 per cent of them students.
In light of the research results, the study’s authors have formulated several recommendations they say should encourage the university community to act. Among other things, the researchers recommend a safe physical environment be fostered, the setup of permanent awareness campaigns on sexual violence adapted to different groups on campuses, the creation of a resource office that’s specialized in sexual violence and accessible to all of the university community, and the availability of financing for research projects on sexual violence at universities.
