Report Sexual Violence
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We take all disclosures and reports of sexual violence seriously at the University of Winnipeg. Survivors of all backgrounds and experiences will be treated with dignity, respect, and care.
If you have experienced sexual violence, there are trained staff to help you in whatever way suits you best.
- There is no time limit to make a disclosure or to receive support from the university.
- In cases where a survivor may have been using drugs or alcohol, the survivor will not be punished for using drugs or alcohol and the use will not have a bearing on the investigation.
- Any UW community member can disclose an incident of sexual violence, even if it is unrelated to the University, in order to receive support or accommodation from the University.
- You may bring a support person to any meetings you may have with administrators through this process. This could be a friend, family member, translator or interpreter, or anyone you feel comfortable with.
- Vew the University's sexual violence policies
There is a difference between disclosing and reporting. The choice is up to you as a survivor to make.
Disclosing is telling a member of the UW Community that you have experienced sexual violence.
This could be someone you trust or feel comfortable with, like a professor, coach, another staff person, or a member of the Sexual Violence Response Team (SVRT). A disclosure can be made in order to receive support, accommodation, or to be connected to other resources.
The Sexual Violence Response Team (SVRT) is a small team of specially trained, well-situated staff that coordinates and organizes services for survivors in a confidential manner. For example, if you personally do not feel comfortable talking to your professors about extensions or deferring work, they would be able to arrange changes for you without telling the professor why you need accommodation.
You can contact SVRT by phone or text at 204-230-6660 or at svrt@uwinnipeg.ca.
Reporting is making a statement to the Human Rights & Diversity Officer (HRDO) with the intention of seeking remedy, sanction, or consequences through the university.
Once a report is made, the HRDO will review your report and discuss your options. Your options could include an investigation process, or informal resolution (if you wish to resolve it without an investigation). The HRDO can still connect you with support, accommodation, or external organizations while the investigation is taking place.
Contact the HRDO by phone at 204-988-7508or by email at hrdo@uwinnipeg.ca
Reports of sexual violence can be made online, with the Human Rights & Diversity Office (HRDO), or through the Sexual Violence Response Team (SVRT).
Your report should include as much information as possible about what happened, including where/when, your identity, the Respondent’s identity, any witnesses (including those you have already told about the incident or disclosed to), and any documentary evidence (screen, etc).
The Human Rights & Diversity Office (HRDO) is the UWinnipeg department that receives reports of sexual violence. Once a report is made, the HRDO will review your report and discuss your options, including an investigation process or informal resolution (if you wish to resolve it without an investigation). Whichever option you choose, the HRDO can help connect you with support, accommodation, or external organizations.
If there is an investigation, a proposed resolution, or sanctions against the Respondent, the HRDO will request a meeting with them. The Respondent will be informed of your identity, the complaint against them, and will be able to respond. After meeting with you both, the HRDO will arrange additional actions, with your permission:
- Accessing further supports/resources to assist you;
- Putting interim, or temporary, measures in place to ensure safety, prevent retaliation, or meet any accommodation needs;
- Starting the investigation process.
The Sexual Violence Response Team (SVRT) can make a report on your behalf, but you may be contacted to give more information in order for an investigation to go forward. If you give an anonymous report, it may limit the amount the University can investigate.
There are informal and formal resolutions possible through the university.
Informal or alternate resolutions vary based on what you feel comfortable with. This may include:
- Having the HRDO discuss behaviours directly with the Respondent. If the Respondent agrees to change their own behaviour, the HRDO will keep a record of the discussion. If the Respondent doesn’t acknowledge or agree to change behaviour, you may seek other forms of resolution or for the investigation to start or continue.
- Mediation (resolving the conflict with the help of an external mediator, who can meet with you separately, or together with your permission)
- A written apology from the Respondent
- Restorative justice (a process which focuses on repairing the harm to a survivor and the community, and rehabilitation of the person accused)
The Respondent may also seek to start one of these resolutions, but it is up to you to decide to participate. Regardless of who starts the process, both must freely agree to participate in the process. At any stage of these resolutions, either person can decide to move the process to an investigation instead. If a resolution is reached, the HRDO will write a statement regarding the process taken and any agreements to be kept.
Formal resolutions involve an investigation into the incident that you report. The HRDO will appoint a third-party investigator (someone who is not connected to the university). This person will be trained in the Policy and in understanding the effects of trauma. The HRDO will also notify you and the Respondent of the investigation. Please note that investigations involving Respondents who are employees of UW must follow the Respectful Working and Learning Environment Procedures, which are similar to these policy procedures but may have a few differences. The Sexual Violence Prevention Policy's procedures are as follows:
- The investigator will review any initial documentation and arrange for separate interviews for you and the Respondent. In some cases, more than one interview will be necessary. You can provide any evidence or witnesses you may wish to share. Depending on the availability of those interviewed and the complexity of the case, it may take anywhere from weeks to months for an investigation to be completed. Support or accommodations you have will remain for the duration of the investigation. Either person involved may request to start an informal resolution process during the investigation process, but both people would have to agree to the process.
- The investigator will prepare a report which includes a summary of the evidence, and their findings as to whether a breach occurred. The summary of the investigation report will be sent to the Registrar (or other responsible Administrator) and the Deputy Provost/Associate Vice-President Academic (AVP). Any sanction, resolution, or remedy required due to a breach of the policy will be determined by the Registrar and AVP, with advice from the HRDO.
- Either party can the appeal the finding (or not) of breach of policy based on a mistake in procedure, or based on the remedy/sanctions imposed. You can contact the HRDO within 15 working days of the original decision with a written statement on the reasons for appealing. The appeal will be considered by the Vice-President of Human Resources, the Provost/Vice-President Academic, and a senior manager responsible for Student Services.
Confidentiality is important to ensuring that you as a Survivor are safe. Your privacy is protected under laws like The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). All UW Community members who receive a Disclosure or Report or who are involved in addressing or investigating an incident must keep the matter Confidential. However, there are some cases where the University is not able to keep information Confidential. These include:
- An individual is at risk of harming themselves
- An individual is at risk of harming others
- There is a serious and immediate danger to the safety of the University or its community
- A disclosure is required by law (cases involving a minor, or under health and safety or human rights legislation) or in cases where the university must respond to legal proceedings (subpoenas, notice, or orders from a court)
In the large majority of cases, your personal information will be kept private. Those who are giving you support will keep the reason for your accommodations private, and any time that your personal information needs to be shared, you will be asked for permission. In addition, any records related to the policy are held as confidential and statistical reporting is done on an anonymous basis.
You are free to speak to your own experiences, but any information that is learned in the course of an investigation must remain confidential. Any information that you learn about someone else while as part of an investigation must stay private, unless you are given permission to share it by that person.