Dozens of Alleged Sexual Assaults at University of Nova Scotia, Police Investigate
Police are investigating dozens of alleged historic s****l a*saults at a French-language university in southwestern Nova Scotia.
In a statement, RCMP said officers from the Meteghan Detachment were seeking information after learning of “information alleging over 50 incidents of s****l a*sault” at Université Sainte-Anne in Pointe-de-l’ Church.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall said the allegations were posted on the SA Change Now website, where an anonymous group of students shared stories that they had been “victimized by college rape culture”.
The website alleges that between 2015 and 2019, there were at least 53 s****l a*saults on the Sainte-Anne campus or perpetrated by Sainte-Anne students.
It also alleges that a perpetrator was responsible for at least 17 s****l a*saults between 2018 and 2019, and that students “were never made aware of a serial rapist on campus.” The claims have not been proven.
“What’s on this website is all we know,” Cpl said. said Marshall. “Once we saw this website, we thought we should probably open a case. »
He said police investigated four s****l a*sault allegations at the university between 2015 and 2023, two of which resulted in criminal charges.
Marshall said police are asking anyone with information about the alleged a*saults to contact Meteghan RCMP at 902-645-2326. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers.
The SA Change Now website says “there has been a persistent culture of rape” at college for years.
“This culture of rape means that s****l hara*sment, s****l a*sault and rape on campus has been minimized, tolerated and accepted,” he says.
He made a number of recommendations, including installing more outdoor lights across campus, implementing trauma-informed support for students and a dedicated s****l a*sault complaints office, and having an outside consultant review and revise the s****l a*sault hearing process.
The Halifax Examiner first reported on the s****l a*sault allegations earlier this month.
The school responds
In a brief statement to PKBNEWS, Université Sainte-Anne spokeswoman Rachelle LeBlanc said, “We fully support the RCMP’s call for the public to obtain information about alleged historic s****l a*saults. »
She also pointed to a statement posted Tuesday on the school’s website, “asking any victim or anyone with knowledge of a s****l a*sault while at Université Sainte-Anne to report the incident. “.
The public statement indicates that the prevention of s****l violence is a priority for the school at the start of the school year.
“We a*sure you that this dossier remains a priority for the academic year which is beginning”, we specify in French. “The recent campaign on social networks, as well as certain texts published in the media slightly precede our intention to communicate with you.”
He said the school has nearly completed revising its s****l violence policy, is participating in a provincial committee to prevent s****l violence, and is working on modifying lighting on campus.
He also encouraged students to participate in a training on consent and intervention sk**ls, offered at the start of the school year.
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