Section 3: Accountability & Justice
Background
The authors of the Courage to Act report, a federally funded project exploring the current climate of sexual violence education and prevention work at post-secondary institutions (PSIs) note: “There is limited research on best practices and services for people who have caused harm at PSIs—specifically in the case of GBV [gender-based violence] or sexual violence” (2019, p. 78). While there are a number of promising and innovative programs that have been developed and delivered by grassroots and community organizations, overall, this is an area that would benefit from further research, capacity and resources.
The development of this resource was inspired by the experiences of anti-violence workers working in post-secondary institutions in BC who have worked alongside victims and survivors of sexual violence, people who have caused harm, and community members with a shared recognition of the need for more support in the area of accountability and justice.
This resource was developed for educational purposes, not as a punitive measure. It was created in response to hearing victims/survivors say that they wanted the person who harmed them to have an opportunity to learn more about what they had done and why it was harmful. As such, this resource may be used as an element of sanction after an institutional investigation has determined the sexual violence policy was broken. To date, there is a gap in educational options for people who are found to have violated an institutional sexual violence policy. Additionally, there are a growing number of folks who are realizing they have caused harm and are interested in learning more about what they can do to work toward repair of that harm. This resource is intended to be a starting point for filling that gap.
This resource is informed by concepts, theories and practices grounded in Response-Based Practice and Transformative Justice. Some of the resources that it draws from include:
- Creative Interventions Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Stop Interpersonal Violence (Creative Interventions, 2012)
- Transformative Justice (Mia Mingus, 2015)
- Accountability Process Curriculum (Support New York, 2015)
- Manifest Change Facilitator Manual: Engaging Men and Boys in the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence (Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, 2018)
The overall approach for this training is summarized in the Guiding Principles below.
Guiding Principles
Violence does not happen in a vacuum. We are surrounded by messages, images, norms and social structures that minimize, excuse, promote and normalize violence while blaming survivors (Coates & Wade, 2007; Mingus, n.d.; Stewart, Todd, & Kopeck, 2009; Todd & Wade, 2007).
Violence does not happen accidentally. It is a result of individual choices people make. This is also true for repairing harm. Everyone is capable of learning and choosing different ways of thinking and operating in the world to create safety. Repa