Students at Queen’s University created an Instagram profile that recounts incidents of sexual violence that occur on campus after failing to see action from school administrators following their reports.
Queen’s University has responded to the account, stating that addressing the sexual violence occurring on campus is one of their top priorities. However, the students running the accounts question these claims. They state that on campus there is a lack of seriousness to investigate reports of assault and that Queen’s has an “implicit policy of silence”.
The students hope that the account will lead to more communication from the university regarding investigations and their outcomes. Currently, students find it difficult to learn what came of their report.
These measures enacted by the students come in a time when sexual violence on campuses has been coming into the spotlight. Data from Statistics Canada shows that ¾ of students witness or experience unwanted sexualized behaviours during their time at school.
Students from McMaster University have been calling for a full review of the school’s current sexual violence policy. In Quebec, students have signed a petition asking the province to change privacy legislation so that information regarding whether or not an individual was charged is known to the public. Students in Alberta have asked the government to pass a law that would allow sexual assaults to be tracked across universities. And finally, calls by students at UBC lead to the institution of a Sexual Misconduct Policy in late 2021.
Originally reported in macleans.ca
