Addressing respondent rights and supports
Address respondent rights and supports available to respondents in each of the following circumstances: 1) the investigation into the complaint is ongoing 2) the investigation concludes that the respondent has violated the policy, or 3) the investigation does not conclude that the respondent has violated the policy.
In providing information about university SV/SA policies, there is a very reasonable tendency to be more concerned with the needs and rights of victims/survivors than with the needs and rights of respondents. However, there are reasons to also be concerned with respond rights and supports. For one thing, people who commit sexual violence have often experienced trauma in the past. Adequate supports may prevent future perpetration. For another thing, racialized men in our study expressed anxieties about SV/SA policies – anxieities rooted in knowledge of profiling and stereotyping experienced by men in their communities. The question of respondent rights and supports took on a particular urgency for these participants.
Delving Deeper Resources
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The Courage to Act Report (Khan & Bidgood, 2019)Recommendation 10 from the Courage to Act Report (Khan & Bidgood, 2019, pp. 75-79), entitled "Support Respondents” expands on the importance of considering respondent needs.