Students of the Western University have scheduled a campus demonstration against gender-based and sexual violence on Friday following the recent incidents of alleged sexual assaults on the campus.
The mass walkout of students will kick off the September 17 demonstration at noon. Then, they will head to the University College (UC) hill to peacefully gather and listen to the experiences of the victims of the alleged sexual assaults. Those who would like to participate in the event are asked to wear teal, the color for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The event is slated to run from 1 PM to 4 PM.
Apart from the alleged incidents of sexual assaults, the organizers of this Friday’s demonstration also share that previously unreported cases of “mass druggings at residence parties” have also come to light recently. “Due to the recent events, we decided we needed to take action,” they posted on social media. “We do not stand for the violence happening on our campus.”
Alan Shepard, Western University’s president, related that they are working hard to verify these “alarming reports.” However, he assured that the school’s administration is doing its best “to gather the facts and act upon them.”
Moreover, Shepard added that they still have “very little information related to the social media reports,” and they are asking anyone with more details to please come forward.”
The September 17 campus demonstration is spearheaded by twenty organizers who also call for “creating a clearer university reporting mechanism for sexual assault” and “implementing mandatory sexual violence education and training.”
