The survivor-led initiative voices concerns across UofT’s three campuses
Photo | Courtesy of Jadine Ngan via The Varsity and PEARS
Content warning: sexual violence and rape culture.
The Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response, for Survivors (PEARS) Project is a grassroots initiative at UofT that works to support and advocate for survivors of sexual violence across the tri-campus. Over the past year, PEARS has conducted reviews, held town halls, and organised protests regarding UofT’s Policy on Sexual Violence, which was reviewed mid-July 2022. Most recently, a survivor-led protest voiced concerns about the university’s actions being ‘too little, too late’ while promoting collective care and action.
Micah Kalisch, director of PEARS, spoke to The Strand about major concerns: “The prevalence of campus rape culture and systemic disbelief causes immense harm for survivors. The insufficient policy and practices at the university actively put us in danger and do not prioritise our autonomy and well-being. Survivors and students feel unsafe on our own campus: we miss class to avoid our perpetrators, and yet we are still dismissed, belittled, and ignored by the university. UofT’s unwillingness to prioritise survivors not only perpetuates rape culture but also speaks volumes to survivors: it tells us we are disposable, burdens, and liars. This could not be further from the truth—this is why we fight every day to make changes on our campus and in our broader communities.”
Last year, PEARS released a review of the Policy on Sexual Violence titled We Deserve Better before the university began its consultation process. Earlier this year, the group consulted policy analysts and lawyers and held three town halls to collect additional feedback over the course of the university’s review and consultation process. After the university released its review of the policy, PEARS compiled an analysis titled Too Little, Too Late including feedback on the university’s recommendations. Although Kalisch spoke briefly at the meeting of the academic board, and the university held several other consultation sessions, PEARS found that “based on the recommendations they put forth, very [few] of our recommendations seem to have been incorporated.”
The tri-campus protest on October 7 demonstrated a strong sense of community care and support, while demanding that UofT do better. According to PEARS’ Arts and Advocacy Lead, Klark, “[the protest] brought survivors and members of our community together to fight for a cause. It will be a triumph for us even if UofT doesn’t accept our demands because it shows community care and advocacy. The triumph was ours in strength, vulnerability, resilience, and collective voice. [UofT has] brought us to mourn and demand more from the institution that claims to care about the well-being of all of its students.”
We Deserve Better offers 39 policy recommendations while Too Little, Too Late analyses all 12 of the university’s recommendations and offers additional PEARS recommendations. Major themes include using clear, survivor-centric, and trauma-informed language, prioritising the safety and confidentiality of survivors, and employing community resources rather than relying solely on the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre (SVPSC). PEARS recommends working with the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, the Dandelion Initiative, Students for Consent Culture Canada, and others.
According to Kalisch, most support work is done on a volunteer basis: “The majority of survivor advocacy work falls onto survivors. It is led by Indigenous women, Two-spirit people, and women of colour. Within the university, survivors leading the call-to-action and providing resources receive zero compensation and are actively opposed by the administration. This work cannot be sustained without relying on our community and allies to care for one another. While mutual aid, peer support, and student-driven policy change is crucial, our voices need to be heard by the university.”
Despite frustration and dissatisfaction with the university’s response, PEARS has created a collective voice for survivors and continues to do meaningful work. “My hope is that the university starts listening and taking action. As survivors, we have been voicing concerns and demanding justice since before the policy was even implemented,” says Kalisch. The policy was implemented in 2017 as a result of Bill 132 and must be reviewed every three years.
