Settlement reached in human rights case
TORONTO — A human rights case between an Ontario university and a sexually assaulted student has been settled, with the Toronto-area institution promising Monday to provide specialized counselling to those in its community who experience sexual violence.
Mandi Gray, a 28-year-old York University PhD student, was sexually assaulted in January 2015 by another student — Mustafa Ururyar — who was found guilty of the crime earlier this year and is now appealing his conviction.
Gray went public with her fight for justice, waiving a publication ban on her name and emerging as a leading figure in the fight against sexual assault on Canadian university campuses. In addition to her criminal proceedings, Gray filed a complaint against York University at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in June 2015, claiming the school lacked clear procedures for reporting sexual assaults.
Gray alleged in her complaint that by failing to have sexual assault-specific policies, procedures and protocols to respond to reports of sexual assault committed by its students and staff, the university discriminated against her as a woman, and as a sexual assault survivor.
In a joint statement issued Monday, York University and Gray said a settlement had been reached in the case.
As part of the resolution, York said it will collaborate with sexual assault centres to provide specialized counselling to sexual violence survivors from the university community.
The settlement comes after York released interim guidelines in September for responding to sexual violence.
The guidelines included the introduction of a Sexual Violence Response Office and a policy that police would only be notified about alleged incidents with the consent of alleged victims, unless there is an imminent safety risk to the community.
Gray had taken issue with the new rules, saying they amounted largely to symbolic changes, and had said she would air her concerns at a mediation session with the university organized by the human rights tribunal last month.
The joint statement on the settlement also noted that the resolution does not constitute an admission of liability by York or a concession by Gray of her case.