Sexual Violence, Prevention, and Response Reporting

In 2018, UPEI established a standalone sexual violence policy to address sexual violence on campus. The University also dedicated resources towards developing response protocols, initiating educational and prevention strategies, and creating the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO).

Later that year, the Government of PEI tabled a bill called the Post-Secondary Institutions Sexual Violence Policies Act, which required post-secondary institutions to establish and maintain a sexual violence policy and report to the governing body (in UPEI’s case, the UPEI Board of Governors).

To fulfil the requirements of the Act, which was proclaimed in early 2020, the SV-PRO began to prepare annual reports (based on an October–September reporting period) on behalf of the UPEI President and Vice-President Administration and Finance for presentation to the UPEI Board of Governors.

The reports include:

• prevention awareness and educational initiatives with a detailed listing of training sessions, presentations, events and the number of participants at each; 
• community engagement activities with a detailed listing of SV-PRO interactions with community organizations, public institutions, and various committees; and
• the number of incidents disclosed and/or reported by students, the types of sexual violence reported by students, and the number of student requests for services from the SV-PRO.

It is important to note that the incident/complaint data is limited to what has been disclosed to the SV-PRO, and includes both disclosures and reports.

Disclosure occurs when a person who has experienced sexual violence confides in someone about the experience. Disclosure is presumed to be for the purpose of obtaining support and services and/or to learn about options to make a formal report but is different from reporting.

A report of an allegation of sexual violence made to the SV-PRO involves an expectation that formal action will be taken against the respondent. A report may take the form of a complaint under this policy; a complaint under another applicable University policy; an external process to bodies such as police or Human Rights Commission; or a civil action.

Within this understanding, the information presented in the annual SV-PRO reports is limited in its analysis and scope and relatively small in number, and may not accurately reflect the breadth of sexualized violence that could be experienced among UPEI community members nor when it occurred.

A type of response not reflected in the reports includes servicing the needs of close contacts who support survivors. Survivors often tell 2–3 people who they trust about their experience of sexualized violence before accessing professional support. The SV-PRO worked collaboratively with support persons to help to remove the barriers that survivors faced accessing support. These individuals included faculty, staff, parents, and other connections who were first responders.

Annual Reports

2022–23

Annual Report Summaries

2021–22
2020–21
2019–20
2018–19

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2021–22

Prevention

The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO) continued to build campus awareness of relevant policies and services and bring “Interrupting Harm as a Bystander” to the University community. During fall 2021, the SV-PRO worked with the UPEI Department of Athletics and Recreation to ensure that all the sports teams were trained to interrupt harm and champion the prevention of sexualized violence at UPEI. Between October 2021 and September 2022, the SV-PRO held 9 on-campus training sessions that were attended by 172 students, staff, and faculty.

Community Engagement

Developing relationships with supports in the community is an important part of a post-secondary institution’s sexualized violence prevention program. In the fall of 2021, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office contributed to prevention efforts through participating in 8 activities with 4 different community organizations, programs and/or committees, including the Premier’s Action Committee on the Prevention of Family Violence Youth Engagement Working Group and the RCMP Sexual Assault Investigation Review Committee.

Response

In 2021–22, SV-PRO response services adapted to accommodate the return to campus life by students, staff, and faculty as a result of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Response continued to be provided in the manner most comfortable to the person receiving services. Themes that emerged when responding to individuals included, but were not limited to, safety planning, referrals to counselling, school and workplace accommodations, helping to navigate reporting options, psychoeducation about trauma, boundary work, and more. For the period October 2021 to September 2022, there were 12 disclosures by students, including 6 sexual assaults, 4 sexual harassment incidents, and 3 other types of sexual violence. These disclosures led to 14 requests for services, resulting in 9 referrals, 5 reports, 2 accommodations, and 5 other services.

2020–21

Prevention

Between October 2020 and September 2021, the SV-PRO held 37 training sessions on campus about the UPEI Sexual Violence Policy and SV-PRO services with 1,404 student, staff and faculty in attendance. The SV-PRO co-hosted “Sex Ed Week” and “Love and Sex Week” with the UPEI Student Union and also had a booth and/or presented at 3 other week-long events. The SV-PRO collaborated with Marketing and Communication to create four collateral pieces to use/present during training sessions and at events. The total number of participants in prevention education and events this year was 1,889.

Community Engagement

In 2020–21, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO) contributed to prevention efforts through 37 activities with seven different community organizations and/or committees. Community engagement highlights included the SV-PRO completing their frontline community of practice project for “Courage to Act”; and along with other institutions, creating an evaluation tool for frontline response services in SV-PRO offices across Canada.

Response

This year the SV-PRO continued to adapt services to meet the restrictions of COVID-19. Individuals accessing services from the SV-PRO Coordinator at UPEI received confidential, compassionate, and person-centered support, facilitated through one-on-one in-person meetings (often multiple), emails, phone calls, and video calls. The SV-PRO held virtual “office hours,” which were available for community members to book on Google Meet. Themes that emerged during response activities included, but were not limited to: safety planning, referrals to counselling, school and workplace accommodations, helping to navigate reporting options, psychoeducation about trauma, boundaries, and more.

For the period October 2020 to September 2021, there were 21 disclosures by students, including 9 sexual assaults, 8 sexual harassment incidents, and 4 other types of sexual violence. These disclosures led to 17 requests for services, resulting in 23 referrals, 5 reports, 2 accommodations, and 5 other services.

2019–20

Prevention

This year at UPEI it was important that prevention initiatives adapt to the conditions brought on to the University by the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant shifting from in-person to online training, adding more resources to the SV-PRO website and strengthening resources that could be distributed on social media.

Between October 2019 and September 2020, the SV-PRO held 30 training sessions about the UPEI Sexual Violence Policy and SV-PRO Services, Responding to Sexualized Violence, and Interrupting Harm as a Bystander. There were 881 students, staff, and faculty in attendance. Some of these presentations were presented in video format while others were streamed live online. The SV-PRO attended and set up a booth at 4 different event weeks—distributing and sharing resources—and co-hosted the Student Union’s Consent week and Love and Sex Week. The total number of participants in prevention education and events this year was 1,111.

Community Engagement

Community engagement highlights included the SV-PRO being invited to join the province’s first Sexual Assault Investigation Review Committee with the RCMP; joining the “Courage to Act” national initiative to address and prevent gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions in Canada; and sitting on the committee tasked with revitalizing the “Take Back the Night March”.

In 2019–20, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO) contributed to prevention efforts through 47 activities with 11 different community organizations, committees, or events.

Response

This year necessitated a flexible, resilient, and creative response from the SV-PRO due to the interruption of the school year by COVID-19. Individuals accessing services from the SV-PRO received confidential, compassionate and person-centered support, facilitated through one-on-one in-person meetings (sometimes multiple), emails, phone calls, and video calls. The SV-PRO held virtual “office hours”, which were available for community members to book themselves on Google Meet. Themes that emerged from responding to individuals’ needs included, but were not limited to: safety planning, referrals to counselling, accommodations for school and work, helping to navigate reporting options, psychoeducation about trauma, boundaries, and more.

For the period October 2019 to September 2020, there were 23 disclosures by students, including 13 sexual assaults, 7 sexual harassment incidents, and 3 other types of sexual violence. These disclosures led to 21 requests for services, resulting in 16 referrals, 5 reports, 5 accommodations, and 16 other services.

2018–19

Prevention

Between October 2018 and September 2019, the SV-PRO held 20 training sessions on campus about the UPEI Sexual Violence Policy and SV-PRO services with 1,133 student, staff and faculty in attendance. The SV-PRO co-hosted Consent Week with the UPEI Student Union and also had a booth and/or presented at 6 other week-long events. The SV-PRO collaborated with Marketing and Communication to create several resources including a website, promotional material, and a video, all of which were used/presented during training sessions and at events. The total number of participants in prevention education and events this year was 1,530.

Community Engagement

In 2018–19, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO) contributed to prevention efforts through 31 activities with 11 different community organizations. One highlight was when in November 2018, the SV-PRO started an online community on the Slack communications platform for frontline sexual violence prevention and response coordinators at Canadian post-secondary educational institutions called the University Sexual Violence Response Network.

Response

Individuals accessing services with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator at UPEI received confidential, compassionate, and person-centered support. Response was facilitated through one-on-one in person meetings (often multiple), emails, and phone calls. Themes that emerged in support needs included, but were not limited to: safety planning, referrals to counselling, school and workplace accommodations, help navigating reporting options, psychoeducation about trauma, boundaries and more.

For the period October 2018 to September 2019, there were 15 disclosures by students, including 8 sexual assaults, 5 sexual harassment incidents, and 2 other types of sexual violence.

These disclosures led to 13 requests for services, resulting in 10 referrals, 3 reports, 4 accommodations, and 7 other services.