Employees of Western University can now receive online training that helps them provide support to survivors of sexual violence.
The free training tool was co-developed by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children (CREVAWC) in response to the previous Ontario government’s mandate that all post-secondary schools in the province must develop standalone sexual violence policies.
Following the announcement, Western University was awarded $300,000 which went to the creation of this training, where participants receive a certificate when they complete the modules.
According to CREVAWC’s website, research shows that between 15- to 25 per cent of college and university-aged women will experience some form of sexual assault during their academic career.
Barb MacQuarrie, CREVAWC community director, said in a media release that the training is even more important in the #MeToo era where more and more survivors are feeling empowered to speak up about sexual violence.
“We have an ethical responsibility in post-secondary institutions to respond supportively and do no further harm when someone discloses,” she said.
The training was developed with input from an advisory committee that included representatives from Brock University, Western University, George Brown College, Canadian Federation of Students Ontario, Sault College, Fanshawe College, Queen’s University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Nipissing University.
According to the training website, those who take the training should expect to learn how to respond supportively and effectively to disclosures of sexual violence, knowing where to seek tangible resources, becoming self-aware and learning about initiatives in the province.
Myth-busting around sexual violence is also an important component of the training.
The website hosting training said, “Held false beliefs about sexual violence impact those in a support/intervention role who, despite best efforts, can unintentionally communicate these.”
“Effective responses to disclosures include taking an active role in dispelling false beliefs about sexual violence.”
Survivors of sexual assault often anticipate that people who act as support will hold the same stereotypes as the rest of society, according to the module.
“For example, a survivor might not disclose based on the myth that most perpetrators are strangers. In fact, most perpetrators are known to the survivor.”
Jeffrey Aaron Weingarten, an instructor at Fanshawe College and a member of the advisory committee, said in a news release that supporting students, especially vulnerable students, isn’t intuitive and requires a set of skills that must be learned and practiced.
“That is what makes these innovative, engaging modules so timely and important,” he said. “They provide the tools and knowledge that will enable educators to be exactly what post-secondary institutions need right now and going forward: compassionate mentors who healthily model empathy and respect for a diverse student population. I was honoured to be a part of this project.”
Graphic by Paloma Callo
