A new federal advisory committee, headed by Maryam Monsef, Canada’s minister for women and gender equality, is aiming to develop a framework to prevent and address gender-based violence on postsecondary campuses.
The committee is part of a $5.5 million budget to the Department of Women and Gender Equality in order to work towards ending gender-based violence at the post-secondary level.
The committee, which had its first meeting Jan. 16, is going to provide advice, expertise, and consultation on the implementation of the framework, which could then be used by university and college campuses across Canada, according to a media release.
“In 2014, 41 per cent of all gender-based violence cases were reported by students,” Braeson Holland, press secretary to the minister, said in an email. “Our government believes that students deserve the same level of support whether they choose to study in Alberta, Quebec, or Newfoundland.”
The appointed members of the committee all have extensive experience in addressing gender-based violence on campuses and within their community, and are made up of a broad range of student representatives, community organizers, college and university administrators, and survivor advocates.
Members also include Indigenous students, racialized people, gender non-binary individuals, and disabled people from across Canada.
Bee Khaleeli, a fourth-year student at McGill University and member of the committee, has been a vocal advocate in addressing gender-based violence on their school campus.
As a student, Khaleeli is hoping to implement clearer boundaries on relationships between students and professors, specifically, “how to navigate and mitigate the power dynamics that come with those relationships, that then discourage students from reporting.”
Caitlin Salvino, a recent Carleton University graduate and advocacy lead for Students for Consent Culture Canada, said in an email that she hopes that her work on the committee will allow her to advocate for the voices of students and survivors.
Salvino said she hopes to encourage “the writing team to conduct further consultations with more students and more survivors across the country.” She added that she doesn’t think the members of the committee alone can meaningfully represent their experiences.
When it comes to addressing and dealing with sexual assault, Khaleeli said campuses are not suitably equipped with providing the support or resources necessary.
“I don’t think that [the policies in place] necessarily translate into acceptable and functional procedures for survivors on campus,” Khaleeli said. “So, how do we create actual procedures for schools to provide these far reaching and holistic safety nets for their students?”
“The national framework is a tool that will require colleges, universities, and CEGEPs to provide a base level of support to survivors and protect students against gender-based violence,” Holland said.
The framework will help to ensure that post-secondary institutions across Canada are able to receive the support they need when developing or updating their sexual violence policies, and will provide guidance on prevention, response, and reporting.
Salvino has been an integral voice in advocating for better support for survivors of campus sexual assault. She was a co-founder of the national student-led advocacy group OurTurn—aimed at fighting sexual violence on campus—which was in response to the perceived shortcomings that existed at Carleton when it came to addressing sexual assault.
She said she is pleased by Carleton’s work to accept feedback and consultation on its current Sexual Violence Policy. “I’m really excited about the work that is currently happening to update the Carleton Sexual Violence Policy, and look forward to the outcome,” she said.
The committee is expected to have completed the framework by May 2019.
