Your Institution’s Sexualized Violence Policy and Procedures

The Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act (2016) requires all B.C. public post-secondary institutions to have a sexual violence and misconduct policy. Institutions are required to review their policies at least every three years and to include consultation with students as part of the review.

As you prepare your training materials, ensure that you have the most up-to-date version of your institution’s policy. The policies at all B.C. public post-secondary institutions are on the Government of British Columbia’s Safe Campuses BC website. Every institution has different definitions of sexualized violence you will want to revise the training materials to reflect this and include links to the policy in all resources.

If your institution does not have a plain language summary of the policy, you may want to collaborate with post-secondary organizations to develop one. Within a campus community, English literacy levels will vary enormously. As well, an accessible policy helps to support victims and survivors of sexualized violence in having control and autonomy over their options related to making a disclosure, making a report, and accessing support, accommodations, and other resources.

As well, you may want to learn more about your institution’s protocols and procedures related to sexualized violence. These protocols and procedures will describe the roles and responsibilities of various departments, services, staff and faculty following a disclosure of sexualized violence. It can be helpful to include some specific information about what happens following a disclosure in your training and/or to be able to respond to questions that participants might have.

Post-Secondary and Community Resources and Supports

Collaborating with groups and organizations at your post-secondary institution and in the community can increase the accessibility and effectiveness of your training. Collaboration can lead to the development of new resources, opportunities for including the latest research and best practices on sexualized violence prevention and response, and opportunities for co-hosting training events with a greater diversity of facilitators and guest speakers (such as community support workers or Elders). Some  groups you could collaborate with include:

• Faculty, staff, and students from all departments and areas of campus
• Campus-based sexual assault support centres
• Community-based sexual assault response programs and anti-violence programs and services
• Campus-based health and counselling services
• Indigenous people and communities (see First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Considerations in the next section)
• Community-based organizations such as multicultural organizations that serve diverse populations and provide support related to sexualized violence
• Victim services programs
• 2SLGBTQIA+ specific resources (e.g., pride groups)
• Campus security
• Hospital and community-based health services
• Institutional representatives from senior administration

Building relationships with a variety of student groups can be one of the most important ways of enhancing your training. This can include First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students, international students, students with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ students, graduate students, fraternities and sororities, and students involved in sex work. They will be able to provide perspectives on the issues that are important or relevant to them and provide guidance on issues such as inclusive language, when and where to hold training to increase participation, and barriers to accessing supports and services.