What is sexual violence?

Sexual assault is any unwanted, non-consensual sexual contact. There are a range of behaviors and actions that fall under the definition of sexual assault. Sexual assault is not only unwanted penetration (rape), it is also any unwanted sexual touching, kissing, grabbing etc.

Sexual assault is about the perpetrator exerting power and control – it is not about love, desire, or sexuality. Sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor.

Sexual harassment is a course of unwanted remarks, behaviours, innuendo, taunting or communications of a sexual nature and/or a course of unwanted remarks, behaviours or communications based on gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation where the person responsible for the remarks, behaviours or communications knows or ought reasonably to know that these are unwelcome.

Sexual harassment may consist of unwanted attention of a sexual nature such as personal questions about one’s sex life, unwelcome sexual invitations or requests, or unwelcome remarks about someone’s appearance.

Sexual harassment may also consist of unwelcome remarks based on gender, gender identity or sexual orientation where such remarks may not be of a sexual nature but are nevertheless demeaning such as derogatory gender based jokes or comments. 

A single serious incidence of such behaviour may constitute harassment if it has the same consequences and if it produces a lasting harmful effect on the survivor.

Sexual violence is any violence, physical or psychological, carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality.

This includes, but is not limited, to sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, indecent exposure, voyeurism, degrading sexual imagery, distribution of sexual images or video of a community member without their consent, and cyber harassment or cyber stalking of a sexual nature or related to a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or presentation.

Sexual violence is prevalent and the impacts on survivors, and their communities, are many.  It is estimated that 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 6 men, will experience some form of sexual violence during their lifetime. These statistics only give us part of the picture; because of the barriers that various forms of oppression create within our communities and institutions, we have limited data on the many other individuals that experience high rates of sexual violence, for example individuals who are transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, aboriginal, people of color and people living with disabilities.

Concordia has a permanent Standing Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence to help identify and respond to cases of sexual misconduct. It is made up of students, faculty and staff. Members of the committee can reached at standing-cmt.smsv@concordia.ca. To help identify cases of sexual misconduct involving members of the Concordia community, people can also turn to the Office of Rights and Responsibilities.

• 1 in 3 women, 1 in 6 men will experience sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.¹
• Male survivors will most often have experienced sexual violence in childhood, rates are highest between age 3-14.²
• Women experience sexual violence throughout their lifespan, with high rates between the ages of 18-24.³
• High rates of sexual violence are also experienced by Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.⁴

Source:
¹ Statistics Canada, 2006
^{2, 3, 4} Statistics Canada, 2008

According to Statistics Canada’s 2004 General Social Survey (GSS):

• About one in 10 sexual assaults is reported to police.
• There were about 512,000 incidents of sexual assault, representing a rate of 1,977 incidents per 100,000 population aged 15 and older (2004 data).
• Given that most sexual assaults go unreported, police-reported sexual assault counts are notably lower, with about 24,200 sexual offences recorded by police in 2007.
• Survivor data indicate that most sexual assaults involved unwanted sexual touching (81%).
• While few sexual assault survivors filed formal reports with police, most (72%) confided in friends and many turned to family (41%) and other informal sources of support.
• Similar to survivors of other forms of violent crime, sexual assault survivors commonly experienced anger, confusion and frustration as a result of their assault. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2014001/article/11899-eng.htm

• Most sexual assaults happen in the first eight weeks of classes.¹
• 50% of sexual violence cases on campus involved alcohol or other substances.²
• 15 to 25% of female students^3, 6.1% of male students⁴, and 24% of transgender, genderqueer and questioning students⁵ in college and university experience some form of sexual assault.
• Women who are the most vulnerable to sexual violence: women who are immigrants, visible minorities, Aboriginal and those who have a mental health condition or are disabled are 4 times at risk of sexual violence.⁶ 

Source:
¹Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (2016), Le harcèlement et les violences à caractère sexuel dans le milieu universitaire, Rapport du Groupe de travail sur les politiques et procédures en matière de harcèlement et de violence sexuelle, p. 24

² University of Ottawa (2015). Report of Working Group; ABBEY et al. (2001); Cited in Intervening against sexual violence, Resource Guide for Colleges and Universities in Ontario (2013); Report from the President’s Council (2013). Promoting a culture of safety, respect and consent at St. Mary’s University and beyond.

³Developing a Response to Sexual Violence: A Resource Guide for Ontario’s Colleges and Universities, Ontario Women’s Directorate, 2013

⁴ Krebs, C.P., Lindquist, C.H., Warner, T.D., Fisher, B.S., & Martin, S.L. (2007). The Campus Sexual Assault (CSA) Study. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice

⁵ Cantor, D., Fisher, B., et al. (2015). Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. Rockville, Maryland: The Association of American Universities.

⁶Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (2016), Le harcèlement et les violences à caractère sexuel dans le milieu universitaire, Rapport du Groupe de travail sur les politiques et procédures en matière de harcèlement et de violence sexuelle, p. 25