Prevention and Education
Preventing Sexual Violence at UPEI - Moodle course
Starting in the 2023 Fall semester, all new UPEI students are required to complete the "Preventing Sexual Violence at UPEI" course.
Read more about the Preventing Sexual Violence at UPEI Moodle course
Request a Workshop
The SV-PRO is happy to provide the University Community with 5 original workshops available upon request to meet the communities’ needs. To book a workshop or to request a specific topic please email sv-pro@upei.ca.
Recognize, Respond, Refer: From Sexual Violence Policy to Action: 50 minutes
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of UPEI’s sexual violence policy, the responsibilities of University Community members and the services available to survivors through the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office.
Supporting Survivors at UPEI: 50 minutes
This workshop engages participants in thinking about ways that they can support survivors at UPEI through a positive disclosure experience, a foundational understanding of trauma, and an awareness of community resources on and off campus.
Consent at Work: 50 minutes
Sexual harassment is not about intention, it is about impact. Participants in this workshop will learn the often subtle nature of sexual harassment and develop consent practices to ensure that they are contributing to a safer space in their work environment.
Interrupting Harm: 90 minutes
Interrupting Harm asks participants to think about the everyday actions that they can take to interrupt when they witness harm. The workshop will take participants through the process of owning the responsibility of doing something, noticing opportunities to interrupt harm, and then choosing an interruption that fits their needs and the needs of the people receiving the interruption. Through the use of scenarios, self-reflection and creative problem solving participants will come away from this workshop feeling empowered with new skills in their toolbox to interrupt harm. This workshop is also available to students through Experiential Education’s Digital Badge Program.
Boundaries During COVID-19: 30 minutes
How can we use the current climate to contribute to a culture of consent? What do boundaries have to do with self-compassion? These questions and more will be explored in this short workshop by the SV-PRO.
Community Bulletin: Non-consensual recording and distribution of intimate images
SV-PRO on Instagram
SV-PRO has an Instagram! Follow our events, adventures and resources @upeisvpro on Instagram.
Healing Tides Newsletter
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Community submissions of art and written word highly encouraged! (send to: sv-pro@upei.ca) Brought to you by the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office at UPEI.
What is Consent?
Consent is a voluntary, enthusiastic, and clear agreement between the participants to engage in specific sexual activities.
Consent is:
- Active: Just because a partner didn’t say “no” doesn’t mean they have given consent, we need to ask and get enthusiastic “yes”.
- Based on Equal Power: If someone is underage, drunk, asleep or in another vulnerable position, they cannot consent.
- Choice: we need to make sure our partners feel free to say “yes” or “no” without pressure. If we aren’t willing to take “no” for an answer, consent cannot happen.
- Process: Consent means having ongoing conversations with lots of trust, just because someone says yes to one thing doesn’t mean they want anything else. You can change your mind at any time.
(Adapted from www.haven-oakland.org resource)
Myths About Sexual Violence
Myths about sexual violence motivate and fuel violence, and influence negative societal reactions to people who have been sexually assaulted. These myths serve to deny, trivialize or justify sexual violence.
| Myth | Reality |
| Women often provoke sexual assault by their behaviour or how they are dressed. | No behaviour or way a person dresses justifies an assault. This myth takes the responsibility off the perpetrator and places it on the survivor. This myth is often used as an excuse by perpetrators. |
| People lie about being sexually assaulted to gain attention or seek revenge. | The number of false reports for sexual assault is very low and is consistent with the number of false reports for other crimes in Canada, 2-8% (Statistics Canada, 2014). Sexual assault is actually one of the most under-reported crimes in Canada (>10%) |
| There is no such thing as a male survivor of sexual assault. | Men/boys can be sexually assaulted regardless of their strength, age, appearance, sexual orientation or gender expression. When men are sexually assaulted or harassed at any age, they face stigma imposed by traditional views about masculinity. |
| Saying “no” is the only way of expressing a wish to not continue. | Many perpetrators will rationalize their behaviour by saying that because they didn’t hear “no”, they believed consent was obtained. The law is clear: without consent, it is sexual assault. Consent means saying “yes” to sexual activity. Non-consent also occurs if a person is too intoxicated, if a person is too scared, If a person is asleep or unconscious. |
| Sexual assault only happens when there is a struggle or physical injury. |
Many survivors are too afraid to struggle or fight. Their survival reaction might be to “freeze” or they might realize that resistance is too dangerous. In cases reported to police, 80% of sexual assault survivors knew their abusers (Statistics Canada, 2014). Acquaintances, friends or relatives are more likely to use tricks, verbal pressure, threats or mild force like arm twisting or pinning their victim down during an assault. |
| Experiencing sexual violence is not harmful in the long-term. | Sexual assault can have serious effects on an individual’s health and well-being. Survivors often feel fear, depression and anger. They can also experience harmful physical and emotional effects regardless of the age at which they experienced sexual violence or the details of the incident. |
| Some people are less likely to be targeted for sexual violence (e.g., 2SLGBTQ+, indigenous, women of colour, people living with disabilities including psychiatric labels, and sex workers). | Many of these individuals are MORE likely to be targeted by any type of violence including sexual. Hate crimes are motivated by bias and prejudice. Social location is a predictor of likelihood to experience sexual violence. |
| When a woman says “no” she secretly enjoys being forced, teased or coerced into having sex. | No one enjoys being assaulted. When someone says NO to any form of sexual activity it is the responsibility of the other person to respect this. This myth is influenced by patriarchal gender expectations. |
| If two people are in a relationship, sex is an assumed part of the agreement. | Consent to any sexual activity can only be given by the individual, regardless of context. Sexual activity cannot be expected because of a relationship. |
(Adapted from Responding to Disclosures on Campus.com, Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children)
