636,000 reported sexual assault incidents

Sexual assault has been an issue on university and college campuses for many decades. Although, the rate of violent crimes has decreased significantly on these campuses between 1995 and 2002, the rates of sexual assault has mainly remained the same. It is estimated that between 15% to 25% of North American college and university-aged women will experience some form of sexual assault during their academic career, while 6% to 8% of male students are sexually assaulted during their time in university or college.

In 2014, there were 636,000 self-reported incidents of sexual assault in Canada alone. The number remained unchanged from 2004.

Even though, many campuses around the world have taken steps to prevent sexual violence on campus, taking for instance Ryerson as an example with its own sexual violence support and education office which provides support for victims and provides information on what to do next, there is definite room for improvement. Only in the beginning of 2017, it became mandatory by law to have sexual assault policies in place at Ontario universities.

Many victims tend to partially blame themselves for the assault as they often feel embarrassed or ashamed and fear not being believed. This may lead to the underreporting of the crime and therefore allowing many perpetrators to not face the consequences. In turn, this may lead them to believe they can get away with it on multiple counts.

It is apparent that speaking out on the sensitive topic of sexual assault can be intimidating for many. Thus, many victimized can feel as though they have a voice, but do not know how to use it when it comes to publicizing their thoughts. However, it is prominent that those victimized and/or those witnessing sexual assault speak up and report this dehumanizing crime. As a community, it is essential to engage in public conversations about sexual assault on public platforms, either as an identified speaker or as anonymous, as it is an effective way in raising awareness.

Sources & More information

Baum, Katrina. "Violent Victimization of College Students". US Department of Justice

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/mandatory-ontario-university-sexual-assault-policy-orientation-week-1.4249487

https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2017001/article/14842-eng.htm