Supporting international students affected by sexual violence
The Sexual Harassment Office and the Internationalization Office at Memorial have developed a Guide for International students who have been affected by sexual violence. This project was inspired by Possibility Seeds and Courage to Act who created a customizable toolkit which was used as a template in creating the Guide for international students .
Sexual violence is a serious issue at post secondary institutions in Canada with 71% of students experiencing or witnessing incidents and 1 in 10 women students experiencing a sexual assault in the previous year (Burczycka, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, 2020, p. 3 as cited by Courage to Act). The guide will also provide information to staff and faculty who support international students.This guide provides detailed information about options for addressing concerns about sexual violence. We want everyone to know how to get the help they need when faced with experiences of sexual violence. International students at Memorial may face additional barriers to obtaining support and this guide is a step towards reducing those obstacles.
The Guide is available on the websites of both Offices and Grenfell Campus. The document offers information on consent along with definitions of sexual violence and related terms. It contains information about how to get different types of help at Memorial or in the larger communities where campuses are located, immigration concerns and how to help someone else who is impacted by sexual violence. The types of help covered in the guide include health and medical needs, counselling supports, legal supports, reporting to the police and supports available at the Sexual Harassment Office and the Internationalization Offices in St. John’s and at Grenfell Campus.
Guide for international students