YOU ARE IN CONTROL.

Okanagan College is committed to fostering safer campuses. We are committed to empowering survivors through dedicated support, ongoing education and action. If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual violence, we are here to help.

Start a confidential report

You are in control. We acknowledge that each survivor has a unique experience and needs to be supported in their own way. It is always the decision of the survivor to choose the best support for them. You have options. 

On-Campus Supports

Online report (REES)

REES (Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors) is a sexual violence reporting tool that empowers survivors to be able to own their stories. REES is a survivor-centric 24/7 centralized online reporting and information platform that provides increased options for students to report campus sexual harassment, misconduct and assault. REES includes multiple reporting options and critical information about resources and supports available both on campus and in the community.

You will be connected to campus support

When you choose REES, submitted reports go to the Student Support Specialist, Kaylen Lesko. Kaylen will reach out to connect with you. She can explain your options and work with you through the next steps.

You can stay anonymous

This option gives survivors the ability to provide anonymous data about campus-related sexual violence. This information is provided to the post-secondary institution without making a formal disclosure or complaint. The data can be used to develop prevention education, enhance security on campus, inform policy and meet reporting requirements.

You can easily send the report to police

"Report to police" is an optional feature available in partnership with local law enforcement. When a survivor chooses this reporting option, REES will transfer their contact information and record directly to the police.

 
 

Student Support Coordinator

Student Support Services support students who might struggle to navigate the complexities for post-secondary education. They are able to work with the student to gain insight into their struggles and make effective referrals to other OC or community-based support services. They are responsible for the ‘Connect to Campus’ function through REES reporting for sexual violence incidents. They are available for drop-in appointments on the Kelowna Campus and can be reached via phone or virtual appointment for students on other campuses.

Contact:

Student Support Specialist: Kaylen Lesko: Klesko@okanagan.bc.ca

Student Support Coordinator: Abby Marks: Amarks@okanagan.bc.ca

Counselling

Counselling services provide free, confidential one-on-one counselling support to students who have been impacted by sexual violence.  If you are unsure if you have experienced sexual violence and want to speak with someone further, a counsellor can help you safely explore and process your experience(s). Contact Counselling Services for support and to discuss your options. Request an appointment.

Security

  • Kelowna campus: 250-317-2435
  • Penticton campus: 250-486-3879
  • Salmon Arm campus:  250-317-2435 (no on-site security)
  • Vernon campus: 250-307-4574

Security offers Walk Safe support should you wish for a security escort to your vehicle or another destination on campus. Download the OC safe app or call to access this. 

Every member of the Okanagan College community has the right to live free from violence. Okanagan College acknowledges that incidents of sexual violence violate this right and is a violation to the fundamental human right to safety and bodily autonomy. Okanagan College does not tolerate these abuses of power and control.  OC is committed to creating safe and inclusive learning spaces for all Okanagan College communities. We believe it is the responsibility of every person in the College Communities to ensure that we build a safe and respectful community. Every survivor has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and cannot be discriminated against based of their gender identity or expression, age, race or ethnicity, abilities, or health status.

Sexual violence occurs in all communities and does not discriminate in terms of one’s gender identity or expression, age, race or ethnicity, abilities, heath status. We all play a role in the prevention of sexual violence in our community, establishing expectations in terms of respect, safety and equality. Oppression in all its forms is among the root causes of sexual violence.

 

MYTHS and FACTS

Fact: Sexual violence is about power and control and is committed for sexual gratification

Fact:  Many survivors experience a “freeze response” during an assault where they cannot physically move or speak.

         Many survivors will go into a survival mode in which fighting back would put them in more danger. 

        The person enacting the violence does not need to be bigger or stronger- Sexualized violence is about power, and can involve physical,             emotional, economic, and/or social power. Just because a person is big or/and strong, does not mean they cannot be assaulted.

Fact: Nearly 1 in 10 women have experienced rape by an intimate partner in their lifetime

        Consent is a process- consent requires ongoing conversations and lots of trust. 

        75% of cases of sexual violence a person is abused by a person that is known to them.

Fact: 1.5% of all men have been raped and 47% of bisexual men have experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime.

Fact: There is no way in which a person can act or dress that is “asking for it”, and neither a way in which a person is dressed or behavior can   substitute a person giving consent 

Supporting a Survivor

Sexual violence impacts every individual uniquely and each Survivor reacts in their own way. Survivors are more likely to disclose sexual violence to a person they know and trust. They may feel guilt, shame, fear, numbness, shock and isolated. Sexual violence can happen to anyone and it is never the fault of the Survivor. As you support a survivor and try to make sense of what has happened you too may experience feelings such as self-blame, guilt, fear and anger.

 

Tips for supporting a person who has experienced sexual violence:

  • Empower them and give them control, control is taken away during the violation.
  • Empower them to makes decisions about their next step and avoid telling them what to do.
  • Be available for them to express their feelings.
  • Maintain the survivor’s confidentiality.
  • Make it clear that you believe the survivor and that it is not their fault.
  • Assure them of your support and be patient.
  • Encourage support from specialist services such as counselling

Preventing Sexual Violence in Our Community

Some behaviours that may be considered ‘norms’, can actually perpetuate sexual violence in our communities. Below are some examples of behaviours that can contribute to sexual violence:

Locker room talk is essentially a way to describe what is crude talk that boasts about one’s sexual conquests. The idea that this type of behaviour is harmless, as words do not really matter is incorrect. Words have power and are the basic building blocks to creating a reality. Even if we do not consciously think of having less respect for a person as a result of engaging in or hearing these kinds of conversations, below our level of awareness our brains are making associations. Symbolic violence, especially humorous symbolic violence dehumanizes people and in particular women, reducing them to sexual objects.

This includes using the word “rape” metaphorically to describe situations that are not related to rape, i.e. using the word rape as a way to describe unpleasant experiences. This behaviour normalizes and trivializes the very serious nature of sexual violence.

Victim-blaming includes, telling a survivor what they should or should not have done, or asking intrusive questions that indicates something in their behaviour had any influence on the sexual violence they experienced. It takes blame and accountability away from the person who perpetrated the violence.  Slut shaming suggests that a persons actions or dress was such that put them in danger and “they were asking for it”. No person can act or dress in any way in which places them at fault of the sexual violence they experienced.

What you can do to support the prevention of Sexual Violence

  • Be aware of your actions, behaviours and words. Pause before you make a potentially insensitive comment. 
  • Practice consent, and respect boundaries within your relationships.
  • Be an active bystander: Tell people when something they said was inappropriate. Inquire “did you really mean that?” to encourage them to reflect on their comments.
  • Bring perspective to you community: start conversations, noting that everyone brings a unique insight. 
  • Remember a survivor is never responsible for the actions of a perpetrator. 

Medical Care

Support for a recent sexual assault 

If you have experienced sexual assault, you may wish to seek medical care. Local hospitals have Sexual Assault Services that provide immediate medical attention and can collect forensic evidence, if you decide. If you decide to go to the hospital, you do not have to go alone. Ask someone you trust to go with you. If you do no have a trusted support person, you can request one from an organization such as Elizabeth Fry Society or other community resource.   Elizabeth Fry also offers specific supports for Indigenous individuals. To see a Sexual Assault Services, at the nearest hospital ask for the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) at Kelowna General Hospital and Penticton Regional Hospital or the Sexual Assault Examiner (SANE Nurse) at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

Medical care can: 

  • Allow for STI prevention or treatment, emergency contraceptives, and more. 
  • Forensic Evidence to be collected, whether you choose to file a police report or not

Accessing the Sexual Assault Service at a hospital in BC is free for everyone.

Once the Sexual Service Team arrive to see you at the hospital, they will explain your medical options. You have the right to choose, including services you wish to receive or not receive. Regardless of what you decide, they will support your choices.

You have the right to say “no” or change your mind at any time.

With your consent, the specialized nurse and/or doctor can examine you from “head-to-toe”. They will:

  • treat any physical injuries
  • offer emergency contraception sometimes referred to as “morning after pill” “Plan B”
  • offer medications to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

Depending on your medical needs, they may recommend that you seek further medical treatment.

Forensic Evidence Collection

Whether or not you decide to make a police report, the specialized nurse and/or doctor can document your injuries in a medical-legal report and collect forensic evidence. This gives you the option to make a report in the future. If you choose this, with your consent, they will:

  • take blood and urine samples
  • take swabs from various parts of your body
  • photograph your injuries and clothing as evidence

They will give the evidence to the police. If there is a trial, they can also testify “expert witness” in court.

Store Forensic Evidence

If you do not want to make a police report or are unsure at the time if you want to lodge the forensic evidence with the police, you can choose to store the collected forensic evidence. The hospital will store the evidence for one year, so you have time to decide. If you decide to make a police report within a year, the specialized nurse and/or doctor will give the evidence to the police. If there is a trial they can testify as an “expert witness “in court.

Elizabeth Fry offers transportation and support services for medical services (Indigenous specific support as well) Google map location.

 SOWINS offers transportation and support services for medical services. Google map location

SAFE Society offers transportation and support services for medical services. Google map location.

Be part of the solution

Connect with Sexual Violence and Consent training and resources to learn more about consent and how sexual violence impacts everyone.

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