Legal risks for Canadian and International students
Participant 1: You said this policy applies to everyone, so I need to ask about this: how [...] does this policy apply itself for someone who’s Canadian in comparison to an immigrant who recently just came to the country? [...]
Participant 2: What does the University do for international students compared to Canadian students? For example, to know more about the legal risks, to make people aware of the consequences of sexual assault. [...]
Participant 3: Is there a list of the legal risks for both Canadian and International students?
Recommendations
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Deliver accessible education about Canadian sexual assault laws, including how they work, and the ways they tend to fail survivors in practice.
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Describe possible legal and institutional consequences for respondents found to have engaged in sexual violence. Provide indication of the range of consequences likely to follow a range of policy violations.
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Clarify the relationship between university policy and the criminal justice system.
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Address legal concerns specific to international students, including whether reporting sexual assault could impact the immigration and/or visa status of the complainant or respondent. These issues should be addressed both in the policy itself and in educational materials and information sessions.