Western committee creates recommendations to fight gender-based and sexual violence on campus

Students at Western University in London, Ont. walk out of classes to protest sexual violence on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021.

A committee at Western University has created four recommendations to help fight sexual violence on campus.

The Gender-Based and Sexual Violence Action (GBSV) Committee was created last fall in light of numerous reports of alleged sexual assaults that occurred in residences and elsewhere on campus. It includes students, faculty as well as members of the community.

The recommendations include:

• Prepare students and parents/caregivers for transition to campus
• A collaborative and coordinated process for hiring and training sophmores and others providing guidance/peer mentorship to new students
• Enhance residence support staff
• Additional dedicated GBSV staff

“We need quick solutions, and we also need lasting solutions,” said Kirstyn Seanor, a GBSV member and president of Western’s Society of Graduate Students.

“With a complex issue like this it often takes a large team to collaborate, and everyone has been so willing to dig into the question of how we can do better.”

A final report is expected later this spring.

For more information on the current recommendations click here.