HALIFAX – Michaela Sam and Anika Roberts-Stahlbrand, who are both students at King’s University in Halifax, came to a rally for International Women’s Day with a clear message: stop sexualized violence on university campuses.
“Is it really a surprise to anyone that groups of men on university campuses are chanting, discussing, or committing rape? For anyone that’s listening here, probably not,” Michaela Sam told the crowd.
“Women that are aged 18 to 24 face the highest rates of sexualized violence. It’s extraordinarily prevalent on campus, to the point where it’s almost become normalized,” says Anika Roberts-Stahlbrand.
Nova Scotia Universities are no stranger when it comes to controversies around sexualized violence. In September 2013, a Saint Mary’s University frosh chant, glorifying non-consensual sex with underage women, made international headlines.
“In Nova Scotia, we’ve really seen these issues of sexism and misogynistic are pervasive on campuses, and we’ve seen very blatant examples of rape culture and ways in which women on campus are made to feel unsafe,” Sam told Global News.
More recently, a Facebook page where some members of the Dalhousie University dentistry class of 2015 joked about having hate sex with classmates sparked outrage.
Sam agrees there should be concern, but says little is ever said about sexualized violence for marginalized or indigenous women.
“In Nova Scotia, sexism and misogynistic are spoken about when it’s an issue for white woman,” she said.
“We talk about safe sex, there’s workshops around that, but we don’t have workshops around what to do if you experience a sexual assault. And that’s a reality for so many women, especially in the first few weeks of school,” added Roberts-Stahlbrand.
Both women say there is a lack of support when it comes to combating sexual violence at universities.
“The Nova Scotia Government really does need to take a lead from the Ontario government who has worked with the Canadian Federation of Students, who has listened to students actively, and who has put institutional and financial support behind survivors,” Sam said.
The Canadian Federation of Students will be participating in a national forum in two weeks, looking at how to end harassment and sexual violence on university campuses around the country.
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