He wouldn’t even ask us if it’s true or not
Participant 1: I feel like my dad [...] would look at the policy as something slow [...]. Like, if he believed that the policy is not doing anything, or the process is going too slow, he would get involved.
Facilitator: Okay, when you say "get involved," do you mean something like, "okay, we are waiting to speak to a person before actually getting to the police? Do you think he would just skip that and talk to the person in charge?
Participant 1: Yeah, [...] he wouldn’t wait. [...] He would just go straight to the point. He wouldn’t even ask us if it’s true or not, or what happened. You’d just tell him you were sexually assaulted and he would jump straight into it.
Recommendations
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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.
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Within the policy and educational materials, provide information about possible timeframes for the completion of an investigation into a report of sexual assault. Deliver regular, scheduled updates on investigations to complainants and respondents. Such updates should be integrated into the policy.
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When responding to a disclosure or report of sexual violence, highlight that students have the choice to involve support people of their choice, including friends or family members. Offer to reach out to support people if the student prefers. This applies to the victim/survivor or complainant and respondent.