Humber College was ranked 20th for the rate of reported sexual assault cases among 87 Canadian universities and colleges.
That means Humber has the 6th highest number of reports on sexual assault on campus, and places 20th in terms of the rate of sexual assault reports per 10,000 students.
Though the numbers may be alarming for some students and parents, it can also indicate that students feel comfortable making such reports to the proper authorities on campus.
CBC has contacted 87 schools over the course of 6 months, requesting the number of reported sexual assaults on campuses between 2009 and 2013. In the document released by the CBC, it indicates that there have been 23 reports of sexual assault at Humber College within that time.
In light of recent sexual assault and harassment cases in major universities and colleges, Colleges Ontario proposed a policy that proposes to provide a clear path to victims of sexual assault and teach young adults about consent. With the introduction of the policy, Ontario Colleges also requested for the province to implement a 24-hour hotline for victims of sexual assault, so they can have immediate access to the support they need.
With policies and action plans on the way, some Humber students still feel like they are left in the dark and are voicing concerns over the visibility of currently available services.
Inez Nacsa, a first-year Protection, Security and Investigation student, said she has little ideas as to where to get help if sexual assault were to happen to her.
“I honestly would not know where to go. I don’t even know what [the school] has for support,” said Nacsa.
Airin Hasanov, a first-year student in the same program as Nacsa, said she was shocked to learn of the numbers found in the CBC investigation. Other than going to her professor for support, Hasanov felt just as lost as to where she could get help.
“I think it is a big problem, this being a negative aspect for the school,” Hasanov said.
Candace Pellew, the Humber Students’ Federation’s vice president of student affairs said there are currently initiatives being taken by the school that will tackle these issues. One of the initiatives is called the ‘By-stander Intervention Training’.
“[This will help] students become more aware of their surroundings,” said Pellew.
Pellew added that this initiative is set to encourage students to step-in when they see suspicious and reckless behaviors that could potentially lead to situations where sexual assault or violence takes place.
“Our next step that we are talking about is specifically the communication and education, making sure that students know [these services] exist. . . The reason why we’re doing this is to raise the bar to a certain extent and make sure every college has the same standard and resources,” said Pellew.
