A new online tool for sexual assault reporting launches today
University of Windsor students will have a new resource for reporting sexual violence this fall.
The University has partnered with REES (Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors), a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week centralized online reporting and information platform that provides increased options for students, staff, and faculty to report sexual violence.
“Sexualized violence is a range of behaviours that include misconduct, harassment, and assault, and can occur both in-person and in online spaces,” says Dusty Johnstone, Director of UWindsor’s Office of Sexual Violence, Resistance, and Support.
“REES provides our campus community with a safe, secure, online platform for individuals to document their incident and empower themselves with the option of having their voice heard in whatever way they choose.”
According to a 2019 Stats Canada Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population, 71 percent of postsecondary students witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours over the past year, while 10 percent of women students had experienced a sexual assault in a postsecondary setting over the previous year.
“Keeping our campus safe for all individuals in all spaces is crucial to maintaining a university community where every person is valued, respected, and heard,” says UWindsor President and Vice-Chancellor Robert Gordon.
“REES addresses the need to provide reporting options that honour privacy and respects the individual’s right to document their experience in a way that is most comfortable for them. It is an outstanding tool of empowerment for our campus community, and I welcome it wholeheartedly.”
The University of Windsor joins the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, University College of the North, and others in implementing REES resources.