Reporting or Not Reporting is your Choice
We all make different decisions and heal differently from trauma.
- Reporting is voluntary, and not required for support services. It is your decision, although you do not have to make it alone.
- People who have experienced sexual violence have access to a range of reporting options and can choose to engage with any, all, or none of them.
- SVPRO does not receive reports, but can help you learn about your options.
- UBC’s Investigations Office: If you have experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault, and stalking (inclusive of cyber stalking), you can report to the UBC Investigations Office. Reporting to is separate from reporting to the police.
- Police: If you have experienced sexualized violence you can report to the police.
- Civil Court Process: If you were harmed by sexualized violence, you may also access the civil court system to seek compensation.
- UBC’s Equity and Inclusion Office : Discrimination and harassment can be reported by filing a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal. Contact UBC’s Equity and Inclusion Office to learn more.
Deciding to Report
Reporting is usually required for an investigation to happen, which can lead to action by relevant authorities (such as UBC and/or police) against someone who perpetrated an act of sexual violence.
- Some people who have experienced sexual violence may want outcomes that require reporting and investigation, such as incarceration or expulsion.
- For some people, reporting may inspire feelings of empowerment, regardless of outcome.
- Other times, people choose to report because they want the person who harmed them to know that their behaviour was not acceptable.
It is only your decision to report. SVPRO is to explore this option with you.
- Some people do not feel comfortable reporting to authorities. Reporting may not feel safe based on their identities or their experience.
- Some people do not like the idea of punitive consequences and would prefer an educational or restorative approach. The UBC Investigations Office (IO) can discuss Alternative Resolution options with you, including restorative justice, shuttle mediation, and circle work before you file a report, or you can indicate interest or preference for alternative resolution on the web-form.
- Others may not want to experience the process of reporting and would prefer to approach their healing outside this context and focus on other aspects of their lives and well-being.
To learn more about reporting processes, we are here to help, whatever you decide.
Call us at 250-807-9640 for support.
Your options
If you have experienced sexualized violence, you have a variety of reporting options.
You might consider making a report to the university and/or other law enforcement authorities such as the police.
The two reporting processes are separate. Reporting to UBC is not the same as making a report to the police.
This is only your decision to make and SVPRO is here to explore this option with you.
This method of reporting to law enforcement is required to make a criminal report. The survivor is by no means required to make a criminal report, though there is a myth suggesting that it is somehow the responsibility of the survivor to stop their assailant by way of reporting to the police. This is emphatically false.
The only responsibility lies with the perpetrator. Survivors get to decide if making a criminal report is the right option for themselves.
Some people choose this option because they are seeking punitive consequences for the person who perpetrated the act of violence, including incarceration.
For those who choose this option, SVPRO can provide support while you prepare to report, and can accompany you to the police.
Which police you will report to depends on where the incident(s) occurred.
If the assault occurred in Kelowna, you can report to the RCMP
Kelowna RCMP Department: 1190 Richter Street
Non-emergency line: 250 762 3300
If the assault occurred outside of Kelowna, you can report to the police in the city where the incident occurred. If you are not sure which option is right for you, SVPRO can help you figure out which police detachment to contact and how to connect with them.
Third-party report
If you want to report sexualized violence to police and remain anonymous (and you don’t want to go to court), you can make a Third-Party Report. SVPRO can help you learn about the process and options for filing a Third-Party Report. We will not share your name or any other identifying information.
Next steps
Call us at 250 807 9640 to get support and explore your options.
It is okay if you are not sure
You don’t have to decide what to do immediately. There is no time limit to report a sexual assault, that occurred in Canada, to the police.
If you have accessed a sexual assault service at a hospital, they can collect and store forensic evidence for up to 1 year.
SVPRO can provide support while you prepare to report, and can accompany you through the investigation process. For UBC to investigate sexualized violence a report must be submitted to the Investigations Office.
Submitting a report
- Complete the University of British Columbia Investigations Office Form to report sexual misconduct
- Upload any supporting documentation such as screenshots, photos, or a witness list as prompted when completing the form.
- At the bottom of the form, you can click to submit your report, or save and continue later. Once you have included all of the information and supporting documents that you wish to provide, click submit.
Remember, you can provide as much or as little information as you choose. There are no time limits or restrictions about making a report, though once the Respondent is no longer affiliated with UBC, the University has limited jurisdiction.
After you submit a report
- The Director of Investigations will review your report to determine if UBC can investigate your report according to the UBC Sexual Misconduct Policy (pdf).
- If the university has jurisdiction to investigate, the Director of Investigations will notify you and assign an investigator.
- The Director of Investigations is required to give a copy of your report to the respondent, the person who the report is made against. Your contact information will not be included on the copy provided to the respondent.
- The investigator will contact you to arrange an interview and tell you about the investigation process.
To learn more about reporting to UBC, connect with SVPRO or check out the Investigations Office website.
If you aren’t sure what to do
Call us at 250-807-9640 to explore your options.