Not many students can say that they have had the chance to meet with Kathleen Wynne, the Premier and Liberal Leader of Ontario. But a student at the University of Windsor and a UWSA senator, Farah El-Hajj, had just such an opportunity when she met with Wynne in Queen’s Park this January to discuss the issue of sexual assault on Ontario campuses.
El-Hajj, a 3rd year political science major, describes the opportunity as phenomenal. “I was super nervous to meet her. But she was very down to earth. She was cracking jokes and wanted to take a selfie at the end.
“But she’s also very serious. She was very interested in the issue. She respects our work, wants to know what’s happening and has committed herself to fight this issue of sexual assault.”
21 students, including El-Hajj, from the Canadian Federation of Students met with Premier Kathleen Wynne on January 14th, to discuss placing a provincial policy on sexual assault. Each student represented a different university in Ontario and talked about preventative measures that had been used on their own campuses.
“Kathleen believes that students’ safety shouldn’t be negotiated,” says El-Hajj. “She knows that awareness is key.”
In addition to the policy, the group decided that further actions should include proper training for residence assistants and campus leaders to inform them on how situations with assaults should be handled. They also explored setting up sexual assault crisis centres, introducing web alerts for safety concerns, and removing stigma for victims.
“Victims need to know it’s okay to come forward about these things. Students need to be able to trust and know that something will be done,” says El-Hajj.
“I began my fight against sexual assault because of three inspiring young females. These three women were assaulted at the University of Windsor this year and nothing has been done yet, which is obviously a serious concern. At times, campus doesn’t feel safe, and this is a terrifying thought.” El-Hajj hopes that with the new policy, things will start to change.
After completing university, Farah El-Hajj plans to become an international human rights lawyer. “If I can make one person’s life easier, then I know I’ve made a difference.”