Emergency contacts

  • If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call campus security at 204-474-9341 and/or call 911.

  • For immediate 24/7 sexual violence support, call the Klinic Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 1‑888‑292‑7565.

Where there is a conflict between the information on this website and the university's policies or procedures, the policies and procedures will apply.

Education and training

Healthy Relationships

This peer-facilitated workshop fosters a shared culture of consent on campus by providing students with a broad and practical knowledge of consent, sexual violence and boundaries, with special focus on university-related relationships, campus community responsibilities and related resources. The workshop is designed to be highly interactive, with small group activities and larger group discussions included in each session. Healthy Relationships is currently offered in an in-person format only. 

For more information on Healthy Relationships, please contact healthy.relationships@umanitoba.ca

Responding to a Disclosure of Sexual Violence

The University of Manitoba is committed to being a safe place for people to disclose experiences of sexual violence and to receive effective support and referrals. This three-hour session will guide University of Manitoba staff, faculty and students on ways to provide compassionate, supportive and consistent responses to those disclosing an incident of sexual violence.

This workshop will walk you through the key elements and guidelines of responding to a disclosure of sexual violence and introduce the current UM Sexual Violence Policy. There will be an interactive portion to the workshop to allow observation, feedback and practice based on example scenarios.

Faculty and staff can register online through the Learning and Organizational Development Registration System. Students interesting in attending a session should contact sveducation@umanitoba.ca.

Please note: Responding to a Disclosure of Sexual Violence workshops focus on responding to disclosures and not the process of filing a formal complaint or report. For more information on this workshop or to schedule a session for staff in your area, please email sveducation@umanitoba.ca.

Sexual violence awareness online modules

The University of Manitoba has created a series of five online modules containing foundational information about sexual violence, including: 

  • A community values statement
  • A brief overview of our sexual violence policies and procedures
  • A discussion of consent, power dynamics and conflicts of interest
  • “Busting” common myths about sexual violence
  • An introduction to our Sexual Violence Support and Education website

These modules can be accessed by all University of Manitoba faculty, students and staff through your UM Learn account.

Key Definitions

Consent

Consent is a voluntary agreement between individuals before participating in any physical contact or sexual activity.

Consent can be withdrawn at any time by any person.

Consent is NOT obtained when a person:

  • Is forced or coerced;
  • Is threatened;
  • Is manipulated by someone in a position of authority;
  • Is intoxicated or drunk;
  • Is sleeping;
  • Is unconscious;
  • Is silent;
  • Is not fighting back; and/or
  • Says “no.” 

Without consent, it is sexual violence.

Sexual violence 

Sexual violence refers to any sexual act or act targeting a person’s sexuality, body, or gender — whether the act is physical or psychological in nature — that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without their consent. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual harassment
  • Stalking
  • Indecent exposure
  • Voyeurism
  • Stealthing (non-consensual removal of a condom or other form of protection)
  • Degrading sexual imagery
  • Sexual exploitation
  • Distribution of sexual images or video of a person without their consent
  • Cyber harassment or cyber stalking of a sexual nature

Sexual assault 

Sexual assault refers to the intentional sexual touching of another person with any object or body part without consent or by force.

Examples of sexual assault include:

  • Touching in a sexual way without permission
  • Forced kissing or fondling
  • Forced oral, anal or vaginal intercourse (often referred to as “rape”)

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment refers to a course of objectionable and unwelcome conduct or comments undertaken or made on the basis of sex. It includes offensive or humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. Some examples of sexual harassment are: 

  • Unwanted sexual attention of a persistent or abusive nature
  • Implied or expressed promise of reward for complying with a sexually oriented request
  • Retaliation or threat of retaliation for refusal to comply with a sexual demand
  • Sexually oriented behaviour when it creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures provide specific information about the rights and responsibilities of members of the university community. For more information on consent and sexual violence (both internal to UM and external), refer to the following policies and resources:

2018 sexual violence survey

During the spring of 2018, an invitation to participate in the Sexual Violence Survey was distributed via email to all students of the University of Manitoba. The intention of the survey was to identify areas of greatest risk, determine gaps in services and collect information helpful to the development of a comprehensive sexual violence prevention, education and response strategy.

Findings can be viewed in the Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Violence (PDF) or the Sexual Violence Survey Summary (PDF).

Prevention

University of Manitoba Security Services offers the Safe Walk/Ride program free of charge to all members of the university community and visitors to campus.

Get involved

Healthy Relationships

We hire student facilitators for Healthy Relationships in the spring of each year. Student facilitators are trained to run Healthy Relationships sessions with various groups of students around campus and discuss topics including consent, sexual violence, and boundaries. If you are interested in applying, please contact healthy.relationships@umanitoba.ca.

Healthy U

Healthy U is made up of two teams of friendly volunteers who are certified student health educators. They are passionate and knowledgeable about relevant health topics and are available to answer questions, provide information, and connect fellow students to resources.

Connect with Healthy U

Safer Social Event Team

The SSET provides peer support for students at on-campus events which host alcohol. SSET members are students who attend the events, providing support for students who are in situations of concern and information about on- and off-campus resources. If you are interested in having SSET attend your event, please email sveducation@umanitoba.ca.

Contact us

UM students, staff and community members who are seeking information on sexual violence, or who are seeking support regarding an experience of sexual violence are encouraged to contact SVRC staff.

Sexual Violence Resource Centre
537 UMSU University Centre (Fort Garry campus)
svrc@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6562
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.