The Federation’s No Means No/Consent is Mandatory campaigns have been active on campuses and throughout our local communities since 1992. These campaigns aim to prevent sexual violence on campus by promoting a culture of consent while also ensuring that accessible and intersectional supports exist for survivors. After years of successful lobbying, CFS-MB, alongside our member locals, saw the Manitoba government pass The Sexual Violence Awareness Act. This legislation mandates every university to implement both proactive and reactive stand-alone policies and procedures regarding sexual violence on campus. While this act has seen an expansion of supports for students, Federation representatives continue to follow the implementation of this Act, which unfortunately has also seen a lack of meaningful student consultation, simultaneous cuts to core university funding, and a generally slow process.

Over the years our No Means No/Consent is Mandatory campaigns have been instrumental in raising awareness and helping to shift cultural attitudes surrounding consent, sexual assault and violence against women. However, these forms of violence continue to occur on our campuses at alarming rates. Up to 1 in 4 students have reported experiencing sexual violence while attending university; these statistics are likely much higher since we know that only 1/10 incidents end up being reported. Of these reported acts of violence 9/10 are against women, with half of all survivors being between the ages of 15-24. For indigenous women, the odds of experiencing sexual violence are three times higher. Creating safer campuses free from sexual and gender-based violence remains essential to creating barrier-free access to education for aClick below to access Our Turn: A National, Student-Led Action Plan to End Campus Sexual Violence – a resource and action plan for student unions to end sexual violence within post-secondary institutions. Our Turn was co-authored by Caitlin Salvino, Kelsey Gilchrist and Jade Cooligan Pang whose research lead to the creation of Students For Consent Culture (formerly Our Turn National Team), a national student organization dedicated to supporting intersectional and grassroots anti-sexual violence advocacy and activism on campuses across Canada.

Salvino, Caitlin, Kelsey Gilchrist, and Jade Cooligan-Pang. ‘OurTurn: A National Action Plan to End Campus Sexual Violence’. Montreal, QC: Student’s Society of McGill University, October 2017.

Salvino, Caitlin, Kelsey Gilchrist, et Jade Cooligan-Pang. ‘À Notre Tour: Une Stratégie Complète Menée Par Les Étudiant.e.s Pour Prévenir La Violence Sexuelle et Appuyer Les Survivantes et Survivants Sur Les Campus Universitaires Canadiens’. Montréal, QC: Association Étudiante de l’Université McGill, 2017