For crisis intervention or mental distress: Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line:
1-888-429-8167

For Confidential support to post-secondary students in Nova Scotia:
Good2Talk: 1-833-292-3698
or text GOOD2TALKNS to 686868

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program for the Halifax area:
902-425-0122

Get toll-free numbers for other Nova Scotia regions

 

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Latin American Female

I had a culture shock

Yeah, so, for me, I think it’s different because I had a culture shock when I moved here. Because, back home, [...] our culture is very touchy and very, [...] I don’t know how to say it. [...] Around our friends, we are very - for example, when I moved here, the thing we do is we give two kisses when we say hi to someone. But when I was doing this here, people looked at me like I was trying to - you know! So it was a really, really big culture shock for me. I think getting to know more about the sexual violence policy, if I was a man, I don’t know if people would react differently - so, yeah, it’s really good to know about the sexual violence policy, to be honest.

Recommendations

  • Engage in activities to develop cultural responsiveness as it pertains to sexual violence prevention and response. Apply culturally responsive practices in these areas.

  • Consider how a student's identities might affect their expectations and concerns when accessing supports following a sexual assault, or when involved in a sexual assault investigation.

  • Deliver accessible education about Canadian sexual assault laws, including how they work, and the ways they tend to fail survivors in practice.

  • Use multiple formats to deliver accessible education about the SV/SA policy during orientation and at least once per semester