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Caucasian Female

“No” is not always the reason there is no consent

Some people, when this happens to them, they come forward with denial. Like, they try to fix the situation ‌in their mind, like they don't want to believe it happened. Or they'll run through the situation, so like, even just listening to them and letting them know, just because some situations they don't say "no," no is not always the reason that there is no consent. [...]. Like, there is other ways, like body language is a type of consent, so like letting them know it is not their fault; and obviously [letting them know] you're there. And one of the bigger things too after assault is kits need to be done, so letting them know they cannot shower right away, if they choose to go in that path, um, and to get them to the hospital and to be with them the whole time.

Recommendations

  • Ensure all sexual violence prevention and response education and training opportunities actively deconstruct victim-blaming, rape myths and gender norms. Ensure these sessions take an intersectional approach to understanding sexual violence and supporting victim/survivors.

  • Highlight which university staff victims/survivors can report sexual violence to so they need only report once.

  • Offer fictionalized but representative examples of how disclosures and reports to the university have been handled.