Two years in, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt in so many ways across our communities. At Courage to Act, we’re particularly aware of the impact it has had on gender-based violence (GBV) intervention and prevention efforts at post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in Canada. We know from our work that it has worsened pre-existing challenges; while also inspiring adaptation to, and innovation in, service provision.
Last spring, we ran a survey aimed at understanding the impacts of the pandemic on addressing GBV at PSIs in Canada. We are looking to build on that data, and re-opening the survey in order to draw more informed conclusions. We feel this is a crucial time to gather information from our communities in order to inform and create some tools that can help us move forward.
This research is so important because the PSI sector is often left out of the broader conversation on GBV, despite its alarming prevalence on campuses. 71% of students at Canadian post-secondary institutions in 2019 either witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in a post-secondary setting (Statistics Canada), and 41% of all reported incidents of sexual assault in Canada were reported by students (Statistics Canada, 2017).
So, we invite administrators, frontline workers, educators and student leaders at PSIs in Canada with interest in and knowledge of GBV intervention and prevention on campus to participate in this short survey. The survey is focused on the time period of March 2020 - present day. It will take about fifteen minutes to complete, and your responses will be anonymous. We hope to incorporate your experience and expertise in a “lessons learned report” and advocacy tool in the coming months. Please note this survey will close on April 30th 2022.
Thank you for taking the time to lend your voice to this important work! The survey is also available in French here. If you have any questions about this survey or the Courage to Act project, please contact Anoodth Naushan, Project Manager (anoodth@couragetoact.ca).
About Us: Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act is a multi-year national project to address and prevent gender-based violence on post-secondary campuses in Canada. The project builds on Possibility Seeds’ landmark report, “Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions.” You can read the report and learn more about the project at www.couragetoact.ca. The Courage to Act project is made possible through funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada.
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Suggested Citation: Courage to Act. (2022, March). Covid-19 and Campus GBV: Measuring Impact to Move Forward. Courage to Act. www.couragetoact.ca/blog/covidsurvey