College Student Voices on Sexual Violence - Results from an Ontario-Wide Survey

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This infographic summarizes the results from a 2018 study on the responses from Ontario university students about their perceptions and experiences of sexual violence on and off campus.

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This 2018 survey included 42,454 responses from Ontario public college students about their perceptions and experiences of sexual violence on and off campus. The information gathered can be used to inform prevention and intervention strategies.

Of the reporting students:*

• 23% disclosed one or more stalking experiences (e.g. a person sneaked into your home or car, cyber-stalked you, spied on you with a listening device)

• 50% disclosed one or more sexual harassment experiences (e.g. a person treated you differently because of your gender identity or sexual orientation, made you feel threatened or treated you badly for refusing to have sex)

• 17% disclosed one or more non-consensual sexual experiences (e.g. someone put their penis, fingers, or other object into your vagina or your butt/anus without your consent)

* Results reflect the experiences and perceptions of the respondents. Caution should be exercised when generalizing these results.

Few responding students reported knowledge of sexual violence supports and reporting procedures:

30% felt they had an understanding about how and where to access institutional supports or find information about reporting

Of the 15% of students that reported they told staff or faculty about their sexual violence experience, 59% were satisfied or very satisfied with the response

How can we better support students & prevent sexual violence on campus?

• Continue building consent culture
• Provide sexual assault resistance education (e.g. Flip the Script)
• Results from an Ontario-Wide Survey
• Conduct training about Responding to Disclosures on Campus for staff and faculty
• Increase awareness of campus services
• Continue to enhance responsiveness of campus services

Source: CCI Research Inc. (2019). Summary Report of the Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey. Survey conducted on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and participating postsecondary education institutions.

Learn more: vawlearningnetwork.ca