We would go through it together whichever way she wants to
[If a friend confided in me that they were sexually assaulted], I will be happy that someone trusts me to confide in me something very important and private, so I would be careful. And what I would do - make that person, my friend, feel that it is not their fault. [...] From the type of clothes you wear, to where you were, it's not their fault; and it can happen to anybody. My tough suggestion would be to seek medical help, because anything can happen - especially if it is rape. It could lead to an unwanted pregnancy, could be a sexually transmitted disease, it could lead to a lot of things. Just take some kind of measures, some medical preventative measures, and then we could report to the authority, ya know, whenever my friend is confident enough to go and report. I am not going to impose that on my friend [...]. I am going to consider my friend's emotional state. If she is comfortable talking it over with a stranger, like a school authority, or the police, or something. Yes, yes. I would be by her side, and we would go to the police. But if she is not comfortable with it, we would go through it together whichever way she wants to.
Recommendations
-
Promote SANE nurses as supporters for victims/survivors. Ideally, this would happen in the context of a formal partnership with SANE nurses, which includes 24/7 availability of SANE nurse services on campus.
-
Use approaches that are trauma informed and survivor-centred.
-
Ensure all sexual violence prevention and response education and training opportunities actively deconstruct victim-blaming, rape myths and gender norms. Ensure these sessions take an intersectional approach to understanding sexual violence and supporting victim/survivors.
-
Emphasize the victim's right to decide whether they would like to report the incident after they have disclosed it to the university. Ensure the victim is aware of the formal and informal routes for reporting, including the option of reporting to the police. Clearly communicate any limits to confidentiality.