Addressing Sexual Violence on Canadian Campuses: An Analysis of Policies at Ontario Universities

A recent amendment to Bill 132 in Ontario mandated the introduction of sexual violence policies at all publicly-funded Ontario post-secondary institutions. This qualitative policy analysis examines several aspects of the newly introduced sexual violence policies at Ontario universities including the type of discourse used, representation of marginalized groups, and the effect of Bill 132 on the content and form of policies from 18 Ontario universities in comparison to policies in from 6 universities in Alberta, which has no such legislation. Overall, Bill 132 has had a positive impact on the creation of detailed, inclusive policies at Ontario universities. Many universities in the sample exceed the requirements of Bill 132 by introducing policies that capture the complexities of sexual violence and address the unique needs of victims from marginalized groups. These findings indicate that many universities are taking promising steps to address the issue of sexual violence on campus