If you have experienced sexual assault, you have the right to report - or not report - the incident to Holland »¢Ñ¨ÊÓƵand community agencies such as police or healthcare workers. You can report formally, which will start an investigation, or informally, which means that you are sharing the information to receive support and services, and to discuss your options.
Who you talk to informally is your choice. You may choose to tell a Holland »¢Ñ¨ÊÓƵstaff member or counsellor just for support, this does not mean that you have to report it to police or press criminal charges.
If the individual who committed the assault is a risk to other people, Holland »¢Ñ¨ÊÓƵor the police may need to know to prevent them from harming someone else, so it's important to keep that in mind when you are deciding what to do.
A rape kit is a collection of items used to gather and preserve evidence by a health care provider following a sexual assault. If you are thinking about reporting and having a rape kit done, you should do so as soon as possible at a hospital, although even after 72 hours some evidence may still be collectible from a person’s body and clothing. You may be asked by a health care provider if you want to report to police, but you are not required to report if you do not want to.
If you are not sure that you want to report an assault, you have time to think about it. You can have the evidence collected anonymously and stored up to one year. This is called the Third Option. The Third Option means that survivors of sexual violence who go to an Island hospital emergency room can agree to have evidence collected and stored anonymously, giving them more time to consider making a complaint to police while they receive immediate medical attention and support.
When a person requests and consents to the Third Option service, health care providers use a trauma-informed, patient-centered approach to safely collect forensic evidence. Law enforcement partners transport the anonymous evidence to the RCMP L Division, where the kits will be stored anonymously for up to one year. More details on how this works will be explained to you by the Enhanced Emergency Sexual Assault (EESAS) team at the hospital.
Anyone who has experienced sexual assault or sexual violence has the right to:
If you make a disclosure, you are confiding in a trusted member of the college community in order to access counselling and other supports and services, and to learn about your formal reporting options. »¢Ñ¨ÊÓƵcommunity members who you can talk to include:
You will be provided with the resources and supports that you need. The college will not investigate the matter or discuss the matter with the alleged offender unless you consent, unless the college believes there is reason to be concerned about the safety of other people.
For record keeping purposes only, informal reports are submitted, without identifying information. If the college determines a need to move to a formal investigation, you will be able to choose whether or not to participate in the process.
An informal report may be used to seek supports including:
A formal college report is a written allegation that triggers an investigation.
Formal reports submitted to the college are investigated by an external firm with expertise in dealing with sexual misconduct cases and which is familiar with the college's policies and procedures.
Additional detail on the formal reporting process can be found in SAM.
You can call 911 at any time of the day or night to report to the police.
If you would like college staff to assist you with making the call to the police, contact counselling@hollandcollege.com.
Charlottetown RCMP 450 University Avenue Charlottetown, PE C1A 0H3 Emergencies: 911 Daytime: 902-566-9300 After hours: 902-566-7111 |
Charlottetown |
Summerside Police Services 270 Foundry Street Summerside, PE C1N 1G1 Emergencies: 911 Tel: 902-432-1201 |
Kensington Police Services |
East Prince RCMP |
West Prince RCMP |
Kings Detachment |
Stratford RCMP |
If you need immediate help, here are your options: