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African Female

All these ideas in your head about how you would handle it

Facilitator: What are some things we would ask ourselves when making suggestions [to a friend who has been sexually assaulted]? What would we need to think about before giving advice?
Participant 1: Did you give consent?
Participant 2: Call the police! [...]
Participant 3: Well, when I did new student orientation training, the first thing they tell you to do is you have to ask them [the survivor] what they want to do. Because, you could have all these ideas in your head about how you would handle it, but it might not be how they want to handle it. Like Participant 4 said, if it happened before and they didn't, like, report it [...] they might just be [...] traumatized really. But you just have to make sure they're safe and that you help them do what they want to do. As long as, it's not, like, "I want to jump off a bridge."

Recommendations

  • Present learning materials in a way that is helpful to a friend supporting a victim/survivor.

  • 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.