Close X
Saturday, December 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Manitoba University Admits Mistake Asking Alleged Sex Victim To Sign Contract

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Apr, 2016 12:12 PM
    BRANDON, Man. — The president of a Manitoba university admits it was a mistake to ask an alleged sex assault victim to sign a "behavioural" contract and the school will no longer use them in sex-related cases.
     
    Gervan Fearon, president of Brandon University, told a news conference Tuesday that the female student signed the contract in September 2015.
     
    The document required the woman not to contact her alleged attacker or talk about the incident with anyone but a campus counsellor. A breach would result in disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion.
     
    Fearon said such contracts are used at some Canadian universities to ensure opposing parties don't interact or engage in shaming on social media.
     
    But he said the university also encouraged the woman to go to police, and the contract was not meant to silence her.
     
    "Categorically, we acknowledge it was not appropriate," he told reporters. "And we acknowledge that it was not helpful to the survivor."
     
    The contract was made public this week through a campus group called We Believe Survivors.
     
    Organizer Stefon Irvine said the woman who signed the document, a 17 year old in her first year of studies, was allegedly assaulted in her dorm room by a male student. She reported the incident to school officials the next day.
     
    She later went to police but no charges were laid, Irvine said.
     
    He questioned the university's initial decision to have the woman to move into a different dorm building instead of making the suspect move out. The school has said the man is no longer living on campus but won't reveal if he's still a student.
     
    A month after the woman reported the alleged assault, the university created a task force to look into victim supports, said Fearon. It recommended the school stop using the contracts.
     
    The university's academic vice-president, Steve Robinson, said a behavioural contract has been used in one other case, and it did not involve alleged sexual violence.
     
    A committee is also working to create a formal policy about sexual violence and harassment that could be in place by the end of the year, Fearon added.
     
    Irvine said he hopes the policy comes quickly and explicitly states "that survivors should be free to speak in whatever way they feel is their healing process."
     
    Other Canadian universities are working on similar policies, said Vanessa Doriman of the Canadian Federation of Students. She agrees the policies need to make clear that alleged victims should not be signing contracts.
     
    "As much as we don't want to spell it out, I think we kind of have to because of everything we're seeing," she said.
     
    The University of Victoria and Brock University in Ontario have been accused of warning women not to talk about their sex assault allegations.
     
    Toronto lawyer Kristen Pennington said schools may have a misguided desire to protect student and staff information.
     
    "What is more likely the justification is that universities want to maintain harmony on campus and protect their reputations by trying to ensure that details of sexual violence do not become public knowledge," Pennington said in an e-mail.
     
    "It is shameful that individual survivors are bearing the heavy consequences of schools looking to protect their reputations."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canada Well-positioned For Any Chinese Volatility Despite Deepening Ties: BoC

    Canada Well-positioned For Any Chinese Volatility Despite Deepening Ties: BoC
    The Bank of Canada says the economy is well-positioned to ride out any economic shocks from China — even though the Asian country has become Canada's second-biggest trading partner.

    Canada Well-positioned For Any Chinese Volatility Despite Deepening Ties: BoC

    Justin Trudeau Shrugs Off Law Firm's Private Fundraiser Featuring Attorney General

    Justin Trudeau Shrugs Off Law Firm's Private Fundraiser Featuring Attorney General
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is dismissing concerns over his attorney general attending a private Liberal party fundraiser this week hosted by a Bay Street law firm that's registered to lobby her.

    Justin Trudeau Shrugs Off Law Firm's Private Fundraiser Featuring Attorney General

    Ontario Firm Gets Contract To Develop Device For Mining On Moon And Mars

    Ontario Firm Gets Contract To Develop Device For Mining On Moon And Mars
    CAPREOL, Ont. — A northern Ontario company is being awarded a Canadian Space Agency contract to work on a multi-purpose device that's designed for future mining on the moon and Mars.

    Ontario Firm Gets Contract To Develop Device For Mining On Moon And Mars

    Saskatchewan's Brad Wall Says He Is Open To Broader Carbon Price In Future

    Saskatchewan's Brad Wall Says He Is Open To Broader Carbon Price In Future
    REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says he is open to a broader price on carbon in the future, but now is not the time for a new tax.

    Saskatchewan's Brad Wall Says He Is Open To Broader Carbon Price In Future

    Military Report Into Sergeant's Avalanche Death Recommends More Training, Gear

    Military Report Into Sergeant's Avalanche Death Recommends More Training, Gear
    Sgt. Mark Salesse, 44, was swept off a narrow mountain ledge by an avalanche on Feb. 5, 2015, in Banff National Park.

    Military Report Into Sergeant's Avalanche Death Recommends More Training, Gear

    Vancouver Street Named After Indo-Canadian Pioneer, Businessman Jack Uppal, A First In City History

    Vancouver Street Named After Indo-Canadian Pioneer, Businessman Jack Uppal, A First In City History
    Jack Uppal Street is located in south Vancouver's River District, the section of the city running along the north side of the Fraser River.

    Vancouver Street Named After Indo-Canadian Pioneer, Businessman Jack Uppal, A First In City History

    PrevNext