What is sexual violence?
Sexual violence is about exerting power and control over others.
Sexual Violence is an umbrella term that means any act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender or gender expression, whether the act is physical or psychological in nature, that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without that person’s consent, and includes the Criminal Code Offences of sexual assault, indecent exposure, voyeurism and non- consensual distribution of sexual/intimate images. Sexual violence also includes sexual harassment and stalking, cyber harassment, and cyber stalking of a sexual nature. Sexual violence can take place through any form or means of communication (e.g. online, social media, verbal, written, visual, “hazing”, or through a third party).
Sexual Assault (Criminal Code Offence): Any kind of sexual contact without consent. It can include kissing, sexual touching, oral or anal sexual acts, intercourse or other forms of penetration. Condom stealthing (the removal of a condom without the express consent of the sexual partner), is a form of nonconsensual sexual contact and is sexual assault. Sexual assault can also include, but is not limited to the following:
- Includes inducing intoxication, impairment or incapacity for the purpose of making another person vulnerable to non-consensual sexual activity.
- Stealthing, the removal of, or failure to use a condom during oral, or anal or vaginal intercourse without consent
- Touching or slapping someone on their buttocks without consent
- Oral, anal or vaginal touching or penetration with fingers or other body parts, bottles, broom handles, or other objects
- Hazing rituals like the elephant walk/parade/march and other coerced sexual touching
Sexual Harassment: means unwelcome or unwanted sexual conduct or comment(s) directed at an individual when that person reasonably knows or ought to know that the attention is unwanted or unwelcome. Sexual harassment includes jokes or remarks of a sexual nature (such as comments on a person’s appearance, body or clothing, questions about their sexuality or sexual history); leering, ogling or sexual gestures; sexual attention (such as persistent invitations for dates); reprisal for rejecting a sexual advance; and a single solicitation or advance or a series of sexual solicitations made by a person who is in a position to confer or deny a benefit on the recipient and who knows or reasonably ought to know the solicitation is unwelcome. Sexual harassment may also consist of unwelcome remarks based on gender or gender related religious beliefs which are not of a sexual nature but which are demeaning, such as derogatory genderbased jokes or comments. Sexual harassment also includes, but is not limited to:
- Unwanted behaviours or comments that fetishize perceived personal characteristics such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and/or race, age, or size etc.
- Cat calling (whistling, shouting, commenting, gesturing) as someone passes by
- Unwanted and repeated direct or indirect communication, including emails, gifts, letters or notes
- Sexual attention such as persistent invitations for dates
- Unwanted touching or sexual advances
- Unwanted sexual solicitation
- Reprisal, retaliation, or threats for rejecting the request for a date or a sexual advance
- Sending unwanted pictures of your own, or an unknown person’s genitals, buttocks, breasts, chest etc.
- Sending unwanted sexually suggestive emojis, pictures, memes, or GIFs
- Displays of sexually suggestive pictures, posters, objects or graffiti
- Cyber-sexual harassment (online, social media, apps)
- A single solicitation or advance or a series of sexual solicitations made by a person who is in a position to confer or deny a benefit on the recipient and who knows or reasonably ought to know the solicitation is unwelcome.
- Coercion of another person’s sexuality by physical or psychological intimidation
- The denial of another person’s sexual decision-making rights
- Any of the behaviors described above when these behaviors are displayed or communicated on any form of social media or other electronic media.
Non-consensual Distribution of Sexual/Intimate Images (Criminal Code Offence):
- Sharing someone’s nude photos without their consent via text, social media, app, email, online, website etc.
- Revenge pornography
Criminal Harassment (Criminal Code Offence) is harassing behaviour that includes stalking. Criminal harassment also includes, but not limited to:
- calling you over and over again, and perhaps hanging up whenever you answer the phone
- contacting you on the Internet or through constant e-mail messages
- following you, your family or friends
- leaving threatening voice messages
- sending you gifts you do not want
- watching you or tracking where you go
- threatening you, your children, family, pets or friends
Indecent Acts (Criminal Code Offence) is performing a sexual act in public, or in any place, in the presence of one or more persons, with intent to insult or offend any person. Indecent Acts include, but are not limited to:
- Exposing one’s genitals, buttocks, or breasts
- Streaking
- Flashing
- Mooning
- Peeing in public
- Having sex in public
Indecent Exposure (Criminal Code Offence) is exposing one’s genitals to a person who is under the age of 16 years, in any place, for a sexual purpose.
Voyeurism (Criminal Code Offence) is secretly observing in person, or by mechanical or electronic means, or making a visual, digital, or audio recording of a person, who is in circumstances where there is reasonable expectation of privacy. Voyeurism includes, but is not limited to secretly observing in:
- Private or public washrooms
- Private or public locker rooms
- Private offices
- Classrooms, workspaces
- Homes, condos, apartments
Human Trafficking (Criminal Code Offences) involves the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/ or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sexual exploitation or forced labour. Traffickers can control and pressure victims by force or through threats, including mental and emotional abuse and manipulation, sexual assault and physical assault . Human Trafficking includes, but is not limited to:
- Individuals who pose as “boyfriends” and gain the trust of the Victim/Survivor by love bombing, offering lavish gifts & spoiling them. This is a tactic to make the Victim/Survivor feel like they “owe the boyfriend” and guilts the Victim/Survivor into working for them in the sex trade.
Contact us
The Manager of Opportunity & Belonging is available to support members of the campus community on any issues related to sexual violence.
Contact
Dr. Taq Bhandal