Discrimination, Harassment, & Sexualized Violence

These behaviours are unacceptable at UVic. Everyone at UVic has the right to live, learn, work and play in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, and sexualized violence.

Find more information about discrimination or harassment prevention at UVic here.

Find more information about sexualized violence prevention at UVic here.

If you wish to make a disclosure, contact the Equity and Human Rights Office (EQHR) or the Sexualized Violence Resource Office. If it is an emergency, call 911

How the Ombudsperson can assist

If you are or may be involved in a University process involving discrimination, harassment, or sexualized violence, the Office of the Ombudsperson can offer support to you. This includes those who are:

  • making a complaint,
  • the subject of a complaint,
  • a witness, or
  • any university administrators conducting a review.

* Please know that confidentiality holds even between visitors, so multiple participants in the same process may visit the Ombudsperson without fear or repercussions.

The Ombudsperson can listen, offer information, discuss the policies and procedures, and inform you of your rights and responsibilities. All visits are confidential and informal in nature. This means that visiting the Ombudsperson will not start any processes, get you in trouble, or impact any investigations or reviews. However, if there is a credible and imminent risk of harm, the Ombudsperson may be required to disclose some information to keep you or others safe.

If you are concerned about the fairness of the process involving discrimination, harassment, or sexualized violence, the Ombudsperson may be able to assist further. However, it is not within the Ombudsperson’s jurisdiction to make official determinations about discrimination, harassment, or sexualized violence. The Ombudsperson cannot override, overturn, or alter any outcomes.

The Ombudsperson’s Impartial Role

Students facing conduct they think is deeply wrong, discriminatory, or harassing often visit the Ombudsperson for support. However, without a proper review, complete information, and hearing both sides, it would be unethical for the Ombudsperson to affirm whether something happened or give their opinion of it was wrong. If the conduct is related to discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct, the Ombudsperson has no jurisdiction. This authority is held by others UVic — such as the faculties or the Equity and Human Rights Office.

This impartiality can sometimes feel cold or uncaring. Please know that this is not because of a lack of care or disinterest, rather it is to safeguard the impartial and distinct role of the Ombudsperson on campus. Of course, this impartiality also means that it is not the Ombudsperson’s role to “test” or verify any visitor’s story. In the end, the Office of the Ombudsperson can often be a safe space for a person to seek information, because you will not feel judged or face scrutiny. This, in some visitors’ view, makes the Office of the Ombudsperson an ideal place for information or advice.