Queen’s sees a decrease in sexual violence complaints, still leading to over 50 sanctions on students.
The Board of Trustees approved the University’s annual Sexual Violence Report on Sept. 26, brought forward by Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans, and Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) Stephanie Simpson. The report, which accounts for May 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025, claimed that 271 individuals attempted to access information, services, and support from the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services (SVPRS)—up 23.7 per cent from the previous school year.
161 of the information and service requests made to SVPRS were from new clients, and 110 were from existing clients. At least 19.9 per cent of requests related to sexual assault and 21.7 per cent related to sexual harassment, with many students choosing not to disclose the purpose of their request. Those who requested SVPRS services were able to access assistance with academic accommodations and petitions, safety planning, financial support, and filing police complaints, among other resources.
Ultimately, only ten complaints of sexual violence were formally processed through the University offices during the 2024-25 reporting period. This is a 16 per cent decrease from the number of complaints made from 2023-2024, and a 61 per cent decrease from the number of complaints made from 2022-2023. In a statement to The Journal, the SVRPS clarified that “a decline in reporting doesn’t necessarily reflect a decline in incidents of sexual violence,” claiming it instead “reflects a variety of considerations that are unique and personal to the student who experienced violence.”
Some of the decline was also attributed to “the nature and timing of the experiences” in the initial report. The SVRPS later clarified that issues of timing are related to where students are in their academic journeys. For example, if a student perpetrator graduated before the complaint was made, then the University can’t proceed with the complaint process.
The report also claimed that “as in previous years, there continued to be an increase in the complexity of the issues faced by our students” this past school year. SVRPS further elaborated on the complexity of these issues, explaining that “solutions can be difficult to find and may be difficult to access” as a result of “external forces.”
Over the past three years, SVPRS has imposed 57 sanctions and in some cases, multiple sanctions involved the same students. The majority of sanctions imposed involved milder disciplinary actions, including impact reflections, seminars or workshops, and no contact directives. Only two notices of prohibition were introduced, and only one student was required to withdraw.
The SVPRS didn’t offer a direct response to The Journal as to why harsher disciplinary actions are used so sparingly, instead responding to related questioning by simply restating the factors a decision-maker considers when determining an appropriate penalty—including the nature and severity of the breach, the respondent’s response and behaviour, and any other relevant factors.
Among other initiatives, the SVRPS has been attempting to mitigate sexual violence on campus through the continuation of the It Takes All of Us training—a learning program discussing consent and intervention that’s considered mandatory for all first years and employees. Last year, compliance in completing this training for campus units ranged from 50 to 100 per cent. The SVPRS did not clarify whether there were any consequences for those who did not complete the training, despite specific questioning from The Journal.
The Board of Trustees approved a revised Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Policy Involving Students on Dec. 8, 2023.
Tags
annual report, Sexual Violence Report, SVPRS
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