SVPRO works to address roots of sexual violence

McMaster’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office is
committed to combating sexual violence through educational events and resources.

For McMaster University’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, emphasizing and reinforcing the importance of consent is everything. In recent years, the university has been working to assess and address the systemic issues underlying sexual violence on campus.

To combat sexual violence, SVPRO has implemented educational programs
and continues to offer new services. The goal is to empower and safeguard all members of the McMaster campus community.

SVPRO strives to ensure individuals know they are not alone by offering several essential services. These include responding to and supporting survivors of gender-based and sexual violence on campus and providing guidance on available resources such as drop-in counselling, medical care options and workplace support.

The office also conducts prevention education and response training through various programs, including online educational modules, as well as staff and faculty training. They offer community consultation, referrals and assist individuals with inquiries about navigating support services.

The services hosted by SVPRO are tailored and available to all members of the McMaster community including all students, staff, faculty, medical residents, volunteers, visitors and representatives.

In an interview with The Silhouette, Wil Prakash Fujarczuk, SVPRO’s sexual violence prevention education manager, also known as campus drag queen Unita Assk, emphasized the importance of addressing the roots of sexual violence.

He further explained how there is a need to address the issues that underly sexual violence which are deeply embedded in our culture and narratives. “If we see people drowning in a river, it’s important to help pull them out but at some point, we’re going to need to go further upstream and ask what’s happening [that] we can’t see,” said Fujarczuk.

Similarly, to the 2023-2024 academic year, SVPRO has many plans to host events and provide resources to McMaster community members this
year.

One event is the ‘Swipe Right’ smoothie bar, which can be found on BSB field during Welcome Week. Students can ask questions about the SVPRO and get a free smoothie

Another is the ‘Wen-Do self-defense sessions’ that are tailored for women and non-binary folks. ‘Dogs Against Cat-Calling’ is an event that features education on street harassment combined with the fun of playing with a therapy dog.

In addition to in-person events, SVPRO also conducts semi-regular webinars covering topics about the changing cultural issues behind sexual violence. "Blueprints for Change" provides an outlook on healthy masculinity and ‘The Way Forward’ focuses on building a
culture of consent.

In late September, they lead the ‘Take Back the Night’ event, protesting threats to public safety. The office also collaborates with various student groups to broaden their advocacy and support efforts across the university community.

For Fujarczuk, drag is not just a form of self-expression but also an educational tool to make challenging topics of consent and gender-based violence more approachable to individuals who require support from SVPRO. Fujarczuk‘s Unita Assk persona uses her representation as an example to show that “visual queerness” does not have to be sacrificed in order to be successful.

Fujarczuk spoke about how SVPRO and its program have gradually become a successful and vital service on campus. “It’s a lot of work but it’s turned into something the community has responded really well to where SWC has asked me to co-host [Welcome Week’s] the opening event every year!” said Fujarczuk.

Fujarczuk stressed the significance of community involvement in preventing sexual violence. A free course available on Avenue to Learn called It Takes All of Us: Consent 1A00, serves as an example of not only addressing incidents after they occur but also pre-emptively reframing our understanding of gender-based violence and promoting a culture of respect, safety and empathy.

To learn more about the SVPRO and what they offer, you can visit their website and sign up for their newsletter or follow Unita Assk on Instagram. The SVPRO office is located in University Hall, room 104.