UWindsor researchers get $2.5 million to advance sexual violence prevention program

University of Windsor in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. (Angelo Aversa/CTV Windsor)

Researchers at the University of Windsor have been given $2.5 million from the Public Health Agency of Canada to advance a sexual violence prevention program.

The funding will be used by Charlene Senn, a professor of Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, and Sara Crann, an Adjunct Professor in Psychology, to expand the “Girls – Flip the Script with EAAA” program.

The program is a sexual assault resistance initiative, designed for girls 14 years and up across the country.

Girls – Flip the Script with EAAA empowers girls with the knowledge and skills to trust their own judgement and effectively resist acquaintance sexual assault, according to the university.

“We know from our previous research that Flip the Script works,” said Dr. Senn.

“Young women in university who participate in the program are significantly less likely to experience sexual assault. This funding allows us to expand the program’s reach to adolescent girls in the community and gives us the opportunity to work with community organizations to ensure the program can be delivered effectively to even more young women across the country in the future.”

The funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada will carry the program through the next five years, until 2029.

According to the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health, the money is part of Canada’s ongoing efforts to foster safe environments for young people to develop healthy relationships, free from abuse.

“Young people deserve to grow up in safe, nurturing environments, free from the feat of violence and abuse, especially in their romantic relationships,” said Saks.

“By supporting these initiatives, we are giving young people across Canada more tools and resources to foster healthy relationships and build a better, safer future for themselves and their communities.”

More information on the program can be found here.