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U of T given C grade on assault policies Student group Our Turn gave U of T a 66 per cent grade for inconsistencies in sexual assault policies ALI TAHA The University of Toronto Students’ Union issued a press release last week regarding their plans to address sexual assault on campus after receiving a grade of 66 per cent for their current sexual violence policy from student group Our Turn. The press release came after Our Turn released their Action Plan—a 42-page document grading the University of Toronto, as well as multiple other universities, on their sexual assault policies and outlining steps they could take to fix their policies. The press release stated that “The scores, published in the Our Turn National Action Plan, show the lack of consistency amongst policies.” U of T’s sexual assault policy received a C, scoring just above McGill University which received a grade of 61 per cent, while Ryerson University received the highest grade with an A-minus. “Our Turn is a national student movement to address sexual violence on campus,” stated Caitlin Salvino,
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U of T’s sexual violence policy received 66% from the student group Our Turn. chairperson of Our Turn, in an interview with The Medium. “It was started by students and it is essentially saying that we think there is much that can be done on
campuses to prevent sexual violence, to support survivors, and to advocate for changes to the policy.” Salvino referenced the lack of student consultation in the creation of
sexual assault policies as troubling. “Universities claim that they consulted students, but when you actually ask people on the ground, they really don’t feel like they were con-
sulted.” There were multiple criteria that U of T’s sexual assault policy did not meet on the Action Plan checklist. The U of T sexual assault policy lost marks for suspending complaints if the respondent transferred schools or dropped out, in addition to the lack of an external third party independent member on the review committee. They do not mandate sexual violence sensitivity training, they have lack of clearly defined timelines for the complaint process, they do not highlight prevention programs on campus, and they do not mention rape culture. “A number of students have come up to us and complained about the sexual violence policy, even just its implementation. The consultations that the university did leading up to the policy, a lot of students felt were inadequate, inaccessible, barely promoted, and barely advertised,” stated Chimwemwe Alao, UTSU’s VP equity, in an interview with The Medium. Assault continued on page 3
Khadr’s lawyer tells Guantanamo story Dennis Edney discussed his motivation for taking Omar Khadr’s case and how the case impacted his life MENNA ELNAKA MANAGING EDITOR Dennis Edney, the defence lawyer for Canadian detainee Omar Khadr who was locked in Guantanamo Bay, presented a talk hosted by the Hart House Debates and Dialogue Committee. Held at Isabel Bader Theatre at the University of Toronto downtown campus last Wednesday, the event was almost full, with over 400 people in attendance from a total of 497 seats available. Edney was named among the top 25 most influential lawyers in Canada in 2015 by the Canadian Lawyer Magazine. He has received several awards, including the National Pro Bono Award in 2008 and a human rights medal in 2009, for fighting Khadr’s case without personal gain—a case that lasted for 15 years. Charged with murdering U.S. Army Sergeant Christopher Speer in 2002, Khadr was captured by American forces and incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay at the age of 15 for ten years. Following his re-
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Last week, Dennis Edney presented a talk about Omar Khadr’s case at the Isabel Bader Theatre. turn to Canada in 2013 to serve the rest of his sentence, the Alberta Court of Appeals granted him bail in 2015, awaiting his appeal results in the U.S. In July 2017. The Liberal
government issued a $10.5 million settlement with Khadr, for violating his civil rights. Citing his 15-year journey defending Khadr, Edney stated that it
began when he saw the photos of the Guantanamo Bay detainees back in 2002. “When I saw the media images of Guantanamo detainees on CNN,
[…] cuffed while kneeling on their knees at the feet of U.S. soldiers, I was outraged. And particularly outraged when I learned that a 15-yearold Canadian boy was amongst them,” he said. Explaining that he tried to reach the Liberal government at the time and did not receive a response, he added, “But when you have the drive, the desire, and it’s something you think is really important and right, you’ll find your way.” According to Edney, he first saw Khadr when he was chained to the floor in a cell that was freezing cold as a way to prevent the detainees from resting and sleeping. “I walked into this building that was deadly quiet, deadly quiet. And shackled to the floor on a cold concrete windowless cell was a tragic figure of a young boy, blind in one eye, [had shrapnel] in his remaining good eye, partially paralyzed on his right side. And his whole body suffering from extensive injuries,” said the defence lawyer. Khadr continued on page 2