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UPDATE - SEXUAL VIOLENCE AT CONCORDIA: CRARR NO LONGER REPRESENTS SURVIVOR



Montreal, January 18, 2016 — After receiving last week a mandate from “Cathy”, the Concordia University student who was violently assaulted by her boyfriend at her home and later harassed by him on campus, CRARR has been informed of her wish not to further act in her case.

The mandate originally authorizes CRARR to take appropriate action in accordance with the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, to protect her civil rights as a woman, as a Concordia student and as a survivor of sexual violence.

CRARR accepted these mandate as an extension of its civil rights advocacy work in the case of “Mei Ling”, a biracial former student executive of ASFA (Arts and Science Faculty Association) at Concordia who was exposed to racial and sexual harassment on campus and who could not obtain protection from the University administration.

CRARR reiterates the fact that sexual violence in general and sexual harassment in particular, are acts of violations of civil rights as guaranteed under human rights legislation, and that victims and survivors are entitled to find justice not only through criminal proceedings but through civil actions as well.

CRARR recognizes that survivors of sexual violence encourage systemic barriers at different levels that can discourage them from proceedings with recourses that are available to them. It strongly encourages women of all backgrounds who have been affected by sexual violence to come forward and take action.