The following are policies and procedures administered by the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response office.

Sexual Violence Policy

Definitions within the Sexual Violence Policy at UPEI

Bystander: Refers to the member of the University community to whom a Survivor discloses and incident of Sexual Assault.

Coordinator: The Coordinator of the University’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office.

Disclosure: The act of informing someone about an incident where they experienced sexual violence. 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.

Respondent: A person whose actions are reported to constitute sexual violence.

Sexual assault: Any sexual contact made by a person towards another where consent is not first obtained. It is characterized by a broad range of sexual acts, carried out in circumstances in which the person has not freely consented to or is incapable of consenting to sexual activity. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, it has been interpreted as an actual or threatened advance, gesture, touch, or any other sexual act to which a person has not consented. It includes a person being forced to perform sexual acts against their will. It is determined by a lack of consent, and not by the act itself.

Sexual harassment, which includes:

• Unwanted sexual attention that is persistent or abusive, made by a person who knows or ought reasonably to know that the attention is unwanted;
• Expressing or implying a promise of reward for obeying a sexually-oriented request;
• Expressing or implying a threat of reprisal, in the form of actual reprisal or the denial of opportunity, for refusal to comply with a sexually-oriented request; and/or,
• Sexually oriented remarks and behaviour which may reasonably be perceived to create a negative psychological and emotional environment for work and study:
  • stalking;
  • indecent exposure;
  • voyeurism;
  • sexual exploitation; and
  • distribution of sexually explicit photographs, video or audio recordings of a person without the person’s consent.

Sexual violence: any sexual act, or an act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression, whether the act is physical or psychological in nature, which is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without that person’s consent. The following list sets out examples of sexual violence. The list is intended to help members of the University community understand the kinds of acts that will be considered sexual violence. The list is not exhaustive.

Sexual Violence Policy: The Policy outlines the supports and services available to those affected by sexual violence, the processes in place to address reports of sexual violence, the rights and obligations of community members regarding sexual violence, and affirms the University’s commitment to procedural fairness.

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO): The University office with the primary responsibility to assist persons affected by sexual violence. The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office coordinate supports and resources for those who have experienced sexual violence, receive disclosures and complaints, facilitates safety planning, and assists survivors through the complaint process.

Survivor: Someone who has experienced sexual violence. (Although the term survivor is used throughout the protocol, the person who has experienced sexual violence has the right to determine how they choose to identify and recognize their own experience).

University community member: Faculty Members, librarians, employees, and students of the University, both full and part-time; members of the University’s Board of Governors, any other person who teaches, conducts research, works or volunteers at or under the auspices of the University.