About Community Care and Safety
Community Care and Safety Office (CCSO)
“We, at AUI, are aware that a number of organizations - including universities and colleges - around the world, and in Morocco, are facing challenges related to the prevention and management of sexual harassment and incidents of discrimination against women. AUI is committed to adopting a proactive and responsive approach to this problem, as a matter of conviction and civil and social responsibility.
We have teams of dedicated staff, faculty and students who work to raise awareness and educate the AUI community, in order to prevent incidents, to provide oversight of due-process when misconduct is reported, to deliver relevant training and capacity building programs as part of on-boarding processes for staff, faculty and students, and offer support services to those affected by such difficult experiences. We are sensitive to the impact of such experiences on wellbeing, work performance and life satisfaction. We believe that this concern and our investments in this cause are determinant in the success of our students, in the safety of our campus and residential facilities, and in the wellbeing of all AUI community members.
AUI stands firm in prohibiting any/all form of sexual harassment and discrimination against women.”
Dr. Amine Bensaid – President
Mission statement:
At the Community Care and Safety Office (CCSO), we are committed to protecting all AUI community members from all/any types of sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination. We are concerned with policies, programs and services that support our institutional position and response towards sexual harassment, gender-based violence, as well as gender and intersectional forms of discrimination. Through a holistic perspective to wellbeing, along with a commitment to capacity building and best practice standards, we also work to promote wellness and safety, and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We advise the Office of the President, and work with the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA), the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs (DSA), and the Chief Human Engagement and Growth Office (CHEGO) on matters related to policies and procedures. The CCSO is also the designated office, where sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination complaints and incident reports are lodged and where we work to promote adherence to policies and procedures.
Furthermore, we work closely with the Center for Awareness, Responsiveness and Empowerment (CARE). CARE is a unit, distinct from the CCSO, which works to raise awareness about sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination, as well as diversity and inclusion, to contribute in creating an organizational culture anchored in respect, plurality, and openness.
To Learn more about CARE and the CARE Team, click here.
Our values
We believe in the right of every individual, regardless of class, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, lineage, etc., to access quality higher education; and in the freedom of all, to pursue higher education and work in academic institutions, without suffering from discrimination or sexual harassment/violence. This includes a concern with access to equal opportunities, including upwards mobility in academic/university employment, equity in performance evaluation, access to resources, and the right to a workplace and learning environment that is free from gender-bias.
In our work, we are committed to being impartial and non-judgmental, and to respecting the highest standards of confidentiality:
- Confidentiality: We handle all incident reports in a confidential manner.
- Impartiality: We do not take sides and we do not judge.
- Respect: We place an emphasis on personal dignity.
Who we are:
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Dr. Severine Minot, Sociologist – Community Care Officer and SHSS Faculty member This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Dr. Minot holds a PhD in Sociology (York University, Canada), specializing in the social psychology of identity formation and transformation, intersectionality, and cross-cultural studies. She is a certified project manager, facilitator, equality and diversity officer, and mediator. She served as Policy Analyst for the Government of Canada, and garnered substantive professional experience internationally, working with universities, along with criminal offenders, refugees, expatriates, development, and community organizations, etc., in Canada, the United Kingdom, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Pakistan, and now Morocco. She has worked on women’s gendered experiences, and with victims of gender and sexual violence since the year 2000. |
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Youmna Benmaymoun, Psychologist – Associate Community Care Officer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Youmna holds a BA in psychology from McDaniel College, Maryland, US, and an MA in clinical psychology from Columbia University, New York, US. She is also a trained mediator at the International Mediation Campus and currently training to be a certified yoga teacher. In addition to her clinical training, Youmna has over 7 years of experience applying and honing her skills in humanitarian settings with international NGOs such as the UN International Organization for Migration, Care International and the International Rescue Committee. |
What we do:
- Work to assess, develop and implement AUI’s Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Policies and Procedures
- Process sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination incident reports
- Monitor the progress and use of resources in the processing of sexual misconduct cases
- Provide 1:1 wellness check-ins and support in relation to incident reports
- Facilitate support groups
- Facilitate referrals
- Conduct research on best practices in other institutions of higher learning
- Provide recommendations to upper-level administrative officers
Organizational structure
The CCSO reports directly to the president and works laterally with several units, particularly:
- CARE: Collaborate in the organization of awareness activities and prevention strategies
- Security: Information sharing, management of confidential information related to cases
- Health Center (Learn more here): Collaboration in handling incidents involving health concerns
- Counseling Services (Learn more here): Referrals and collaboration in handling incidents involving mental health concerns
- The Listening Unit: Referrals and collaboration in meeting the needs of parties involved in incidents
