Responding to Sexual Violence on Post-Secondary Campuses: Models of Response, on-Campus Investigations, and Best Practices for Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence

Responding to sexual violence at post-secondary schools continues to pose challenges to police, campus security, and post-secondary officials. Recently, the province of Ontario, Canada, mandated that all post-secondary institutions in Ontario adopt some form of sexual violence policy for their campuses. Yet, little is known about how this mandate has been implemented by post-secondary schools. Drawing on in-depth interviews with post-secondary school officials and police officers, this paper explores the perspectives of individuals responsible for responding to sexual violence on campus. More specifically, we examine the best practices regarding responses to sexual violence on campus while paying particular attention to how post-secondary institutions and police services collaborate. Utilizing a critical feminist framework, we critically assess these responses to argue that this current structure is problematic.