Columbia Bible College partners with REES to address and prevent sexual violence on campus

Columbia Bible College has partnered with Manitoba-based REES to make online reporting of sexual violence available to their campus community.

REES (Respect, Educate Empower Survivors) is a 24/7 reporting and information platform that provides increased reporting options for students, staff and faculty to report sexual violence on campus.

“REES provides a victim centered, trauma-informed platform that empowers victims of sexual violence with numerous options for reporting and support. We look forward to integrating REES into our overall vision for a safe campus where all students are able to thrive,” says Bryan Born, President of Columbia Bible College.

Sexualized violence is a range of behaviours that includes misconduct, harassment and assault and can occur both in-person and in online spaces. According to the Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population 2019 from Statistics Canada, a majority (71%) of postsecondary students witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in the past year and one in 10 (11%) women students experienced a sexual assault in a postsecondary setting during the previous year.

“REES empowers survivors by providing a safe, secure space to record incidents of sexual violence on their campuses,” said Mary Lobson, Founder of REES “while gathering critical data to inform development of policy, supports and resources. Anonymous reporting enables students to tell their institution about any unwanted sexualized behaviours as they work together to create a safer campus community.