We use cookies on this site to enhance your experience.
By selecting “Accept” and continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies.
Learn About Consent and Sexual Violence
We are glad you are feeling curious about growing your understanding of sexual violence, deepening your consent practices and ethics, or building your skills for intervening in harm when you witness it.
Laurier’s Sexual Violence Response Team, and all our community members moving in solidarity with us, are building a campus culture where everyone at Laurier can learn, work, and live free from gendered and sexual violence. Ending sexual violence requires that we all do a lot of learning and unlearning about rape culture, taking action when we see harm, consent and sexual communication, responding to disclosures of harm, and taking and supporting accountability.
What is Sexual Violence?
Sexual Violence means any sexual act or act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression, whether the act is physical or psychological in nature, that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without the person’s consent, and includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual exploitation.
(From Laurier's Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy 12.4, section 3.08)
Understanding Sexual Violence
Need Help Right Now?
24 Hour Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Lines:
- Waterloo: 519.741.8633
- Brantford: 519.751.3471
Emergency:
- 911
Women's Crisis Services of Waterlo Region:
- 24 Hour Support Line: 519.653.2422 or 519.742.5894
HERE 24/7:
- 1.844.437.3247
Special Constable Services:
- 519.885.3333, or from an internal phone x3333.
For many folks, particularly for people with intersecting and marginalized identities, harm in online spaces is prevalent. Similar to other forms of gender-based violence, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQQIA+, women, and people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by technology-facilitated gender-based violence. These forms of harm and violence can include doxxing, sharing intimate images or conversations without someone's consent, stalking, and mobbing.
As more of our day-to-day life becomes integrated into virtual spaces, it's important to explore how to build an online consent culture and prevent technology-facilitated violence.
‘Digital consent is a way to refer to sexual consent that happens through screens. Just like in real-life sexual encounters, consent should be an on-going conversation when communicating digitally.
Although you aren’t talking face-to-face, you should always consider how your actions might make another person feel and ask questions if you don’t know.”-NSVRC, Building Safe Online Spaces Together
Some virtual consent practices can include:
- Asking someone for their consent before posting a photo of them and before tagging them in a post
- Asking someone for their consent before sharing any of their private information (i.e. contact information, full name, address, identity-based information)
- Asking if someone comfortable before sexting or sending a nude photo. As well, don’t ever share someone's nudes or sexts with other people without their consent
- Asking before tagging a location or virtually "checking in" somewhere with someone else
- Asking if you can repost or reshare someone's post, especially if resharing onto another platform (i.e. sharing a friends' Tiktok on Instagram)
Here are some helpful resources that you can refer to:
- To learn more about these forms of violence and their impacts, check out "Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: An Overview" by Suzie Dunn.
- To learn more about taking precautions against online harassment, check out "Speak Up & Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself From Online Harassment".
- SAAM 2021 Digital Consent, Boundaries, and Everyday Online Consent
- Did I Say that Was OK with Me? Understanding Consent and Boundaries
- Speak Up and Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself from Online Harassment
- Deplatforming Misogyny: Platform liability for technology-facilitated gender-based violence
- What is technology-facilitated abuse?
Intersecting Identities And Sexual Violence
- 2SLGBTQ+ Power and Control Wheel
- Proceed! 2SLGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Legal Toolkit for Advocates
- Safety in Relationships: Same Gender
- Safety in Relationships: Trans Folk
- Queer Youth of Colour - Trans Student Educational Resources
- Trans Immigrants - Trans Student Educational Resources
- Violence Against 2SLGBTQIA+ Newcomers
- Tool for Adjusting to Using Someone’s Correct Pronouns
- Addressing Sexual Violence with Newcomer Communities
- A Future without Gender-Based Violence: Building Newcomers’ Resilience Through Community Education
- Trans Immigrants - Trans Student Educational Resources
- 2017 Advocate and Legal Service Survey Regarding Immigrant Survivors
- Violence Against 2SLGBTQIA+ Newcomers
Laurier’s Gendered and Sexual Violence Prevention and Supports operates on the sacred and traditional land of the Anishnawbe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples.