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Consent is a voluntary agreement between two people 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Consent can be withdrawn at any time by any person.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 refers to any sexual act or act targeting a person’s sexuality, body, gender identity or gender expression — 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 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 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

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).

The University of Manitoba has created guides for our community members on intimate or sexual relationships. There are two guides:

• Relationships between University Employees and Students (PDF) — This guide is for University of Manitoba employees who teach or support students; and 
• Relationships between University Employees Involving Power Differentials (PDF) — This guide is for all University of Manitoba employees.

The university strongly discourages intimate or sexual relationships between an employee and a student that they teach, supervise, advise, evaluate or are otherwise in a position of authority over. These relationships should be avoided. The university also strongly discourages intimate or sexual relationships between university employees where one employee is in a position of power over the other. These relationships should be avoided.

Both types of relationships have the potential to create unacceptable risks and abuses of power, resulting in a conflict of interest.

The employee in the position of power is responsible for disclosing the conflict of interest. The relationship must be disclosed immediately and in writing to the head of their unit.

The conflict will be addressed as appropriate and in accordance with the university’s Conflict of Interest Procedure.

These guides are changing. In considering the implementation of the report, Responding to Sexual Violence, Harassment & Discrimination at the University of Manitoba: A Path Forward (PDF), the university is in the process of reviewing how it approaches intimate or sexual relationships between teaching staff and the students that they supervise.