A skill to respond to the situation
I have an elementary training in responding to situations like this - responding to delicate situations like sexual assault victims and people who have suicidal ideations. And it’s not something that a - a normal person would be able to casually jump into and immediately say the right thing, because there’s not right thing to say. [...] It is a very - it’s more of [unclear] skill to respond to the situation, which is why there are entire careers dedicated to dealing with them. It’s - it’s almost like you have a sensation of walking on eggshells when you're dealing with the situation like that. And it may come [unclear] shock to you, almost as much as it is to the individual, where you have in - in our context here you have your [unclear] masculine friend and they - they confided in you that they’ve been sexually assaulted. That’s [short pause] an extremely er, “Wait a minute! What’s going on here?” sort of situation for most people. [...] So, it’s - it’s very difficult to directly intervene and usually the best you can do is to direct them higher - higher resources, or if it’s necessary, higher medical authority.
Recommendations
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Use approaches that are trauma informed and survivor-centred.
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Display QR codes providing immediate access to on- and off-campus supports and policy information in high-traffic areas on campus.
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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.
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Highlight which university staff victims/survivors can report sexual violence to so they need only report once.