Better education, better support abroad
Participant 1: I think, for example, since we are from Latin America, and we come from very low resources. Not the majority, but some people do. For example, my grandmother barely finished her school, but my mother did. I just don’t think they had the resources to learn sexual education, so I think they would feel like we are very lucky that at least we have this help and this awareness nowadays.[...]
Participant 2: Yeah, I agree with
Participant 1. In my case, my grandmother couldn’t finish her education, because her husband didn’t let her. But, she pushed my mother to finish her university, and my mother is pushing me. So, probably before, there wasn’t a lot of help or support to women. Now that we are helping not only women, but men too, because this happens to men and women, [...] they would think that we are very lucky to have this help. I think it is one of the main reasons they sent us abroad because they want us to have better education, better support, and all that stuff.
Recommendations
-
Develop a one-page document for parents/guardians of students that highlights key policy points and links to sexual assault resources and supports available in Canada.
-
Create and promote avenues for comprehensive consent education.
-
In education and awareness campaigns, highlight the fact that a significant percentage of men have experienced sexual violence in their lives.