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More than 4,000 post-secondary students from uOttawa, Carleton University and Algonquin College reported they were sexually assaulted during the 2017-2018 academic year. The numbers worry, but don’t necessarily surprise, those who work with victims of sexual violence on the city’s post-secondary campuses.

“I am heartbroken for those who have experienced this sexual violence,” said Bailey Reid, sexual assault support coordinator at Carleton. “In many ways, I am not surprised by these numbers. We know that sexual violence is a pervasive issue in society in general and we know that folks who are of post-secondary age tend to be more at risk.”

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The Ottawa findings, from the 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey released by the Ontario government this week, bring into sharp focus an issue that students, advocates, universities and colleges have been grappling with.

The survey reveals that nearly one in four — 23 per cent — university students across the province, and 17.2 per cent of college students, who answered the survey reported they were sexually assaulted during the 2017-2018 school year. The survey indicated a respondent’s experience could occur on or off campus.