http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/
By Riley Laychuk, CBC News Posted: Apr 05, 2016
Victims of sexual assault at Brandon University are required to sign a behavioural contract that forces them to say nothing about the assault except to counsellors. We Believe Survivors, a campus group that was formed just ten day ago, discovered the existence of the contract on a forum it set up for students to post anonymously about their stories of sexual violence on campus. Stefon Irvine, one of the group`s organizers, said the contract re-victimizes assault survivors ( . . . )
The contract, which Brandon University confirms is authentic, spells out that the signer cannot have contact with the other person involved in an incident and that they are not to discuss what happened with anyone else other than a counsellor. Students are threatened with suspension or expulsion if they breach those conditions, according to a copy of the document obtained by CBC News ( . . . )
"By this letter, one could not even call the sexual assault crisis line at Klinic without risking suspension or expulsion," the statement continued. "This letter was obviously written without much knowledge of sexual assault, and without survivors' needs in mind." Irvine fears that the terms of the contract will fall most heavily on those studying at Brandon University from abroad or others who might be at risk of having their funding cut.
CBC News spoke with a sexual assault victim who signed one of the contracts. She was 17 when she was sexually assaulted in a residence at Brandon University in September of 2015. "I was very suspicious of this because I felt like I was not in a place that I had to sign," said the first year student. She reported the incident to school staff and did sign the document swearing her to silence that same month but now wants to tell her story. The student said she didn't get the help she needed from the school. "I wish that those few days after it happened I was not left alone. That I wasn't told I was a bad girl," she said, holding back tears. She said she was told that her incident was small compared to others ( . . . )
Meanwhile, Brandon University defends use of the behavioural contract. "Certainly behavioural contracts are meant to protect, they're not meant to victimize or re-victimize," said Tom Brophy, associate vice president of student services at BU. "So behavioural contracts are there to protect students, that's what we endeavour to do." In the more than two years Brophy has been with the school, he says only three have been issued. And suspension or expulsion would only be a last resort. "We certainly want to have our students feel safe to come forward to do that [report sexual assault and sexual violence]," he said. "It doesn't mean we don't have room to improve. I think we do and we're working towards that" ( . . . )
