Attending university can be one of the most transformative experiences in a person's life. It's an experience that is filled with new ideas, new friendships and new understanding about our own capabilities.
But it's not all roses. Around 1 in 4 students, most of them women, will experience sexual assault over the course of their post-secondary career. One quarter of all students!
Most new students start university having never had any comprehensive sex education that includes information about consent. In the absence of this information, many students believe that it’s ok to have sex with someone who is very drunk, that there are some circumstances in which a person is obligated to have sex, and even that a person can “ask for it” by dressing sexy or having multiple sexual partners. With this kind of rampant misinformation, it’s no wonder that so many students experience sexual assault!
We need to stop telling university students how to not get raped and instead teach them how not to rape. A conversation examining sexual assault and consent should be had by as many people as possible.
Let’s start with all students living in residence!
We ask that Concordia University institute mandatory consent workshops for all students living in residence. Such workshops must cover:
- Myths and facts about sexual assault.
- What is consent? How do we communicate about personal boundaries?
- What is rape culture and how can we create a culture of consent?
- How can we support survivors?
- Where to go for support.
