By Gerry Lampow, My Lloydminster Now
Half of the people who responded to a survey say they have been a victim of sexual or gender-based violence as a post-secondary student, with sexual harassment being the most common form.
This as the government of Alberta shares the findings of the survey which saw nearly 13,000 people giving their experiences at the publicly funded post-secondary schools in the province.
By comparison, 45 per cent of adult Albertans say they have been a victim of some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services.
Grant MacEwan University led the development of the survey with input from Alberta’s 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions.
In thanking the respondents, Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education says, “This report gives us a clearer picture of students’ experiences across the province so we can address gaps and move forward with strong, survivor-centric supports.”
It is the first time that this type of data is available in Alberta.
The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Alberta Post-secondary Education survey was conducted from Jan. 30 to Mar. 16.