It can happen in North America too
I just want to remind you guys that, like, the weird relationship with students and teachers in West Africa is kind of messed up. I don’t know about you... but in one of my schools, the teachers would refer to females students as, like, their wives and give them names like ‘’wife number one, wife number two.’’ Like, it was really weird, and I didn’t like it, but everyone thought that it was a normal thing. So, I just hated that idea. But then, when I came here, I was in some kind of school project that we were put in groups, and some guy in our group thought that I was being too ‘’feisty," and he thought it was okay to like - how do I put this - he touched me in an improper way, and I didn’t like it, and the teacher proceeded to laugh. I was like, "this is really weird, I thought this was only a West African thing" [laughter] and then you see those kind of patterns resurface in North American culture as well. I would also say that the counsellor involved should also understand that things like that may happen more commonly West Africa but that kind of stuff can happen in North America too. [Counsellors in western countries should understand] those kind of patterns can happen in any place.
Recommendations
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Engage in activities to develop anti-racism as it pertains to sexual violence prevention and response. Apply anti-racist practices in these areas.
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Engage in activities to develop cultural responsiveness as it pertains to sexual violence prevention and response. Apply culturally responsive practices in these areas.
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Offer information about university responses to sexual assault allegations against faculty members, as provided for by faculty collective agreements.