The first sector-wide survey of sexual misconduct at universities showed concerning
statistics on the rate of sexual assault in England.
The report found that almost a quarter (24.5%) of respondents have experienced sexual
harassment as a student, with 14.1% of respondents experiencing at least one form of
sexual assault/violence.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual students reported a higher prevalence of sexual harassment, the
first-of-its-kind survey revealed. Female respondents and students starting their course
under the age of 21 were also more at risk.
Organised by the Office for Students (OfS), the report was completed by 52, 000 final year
undergraduate students in England.
Students were also asked about whether they reported incidents to the University, and
whether the support they received was good or poor.
Incidents of sexual assault were much more likely to be formally reported by those aged 31
and above (86.4 per cent) than by those under 21 (12.7 per cent).
Students who had at least one experience of sexual assault/violence in the last 12 months
were asked about their experience reporting the assault to their University or college.
The majority of these students (57%) described their experience as “good”. But a significant
proportion (32.4%) said that it was “poor”.
Characteristics like being female, having a reported disability, and being eligible for free
school meals were more prevalent amongst those who described their experience as “poor”.
The University states that “sexual violence and harassment of any form is never, ever
acceptable”.
York students can report staff and student sexual misconduct – including sexual
assault/harassment – to the University using their “Report + Support tool”. Reporting can be
made anonymously.
In August, the OfS created new general guidelines for how universities in England should
respond and work to prevent harassment and sexual misconduct.
For example, this year, York has introduced mandatory training on consensual relationships.
The four-course interactive module is available on the VLE, and students were notified by
email that they must complete it by the end of semester one to continue their course.
Universities must also henceforth publish information about their policies and procedures on
how they deal with incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct.
They must also protect students from conflicts of interest and abuses of power that can arise
from personal relationships between staff and students.
On August 1st, the University of York updated its Human Resources policy on “Personal
Relationships” for the first time since January 2018.
Point 5.1.1 states that members of staff must not enter into an intimate relationship where
the staff member has professional responsibilities to that student.
The previous version, whilst discouraging, did not outright ban student-staff relations. It said
that, regarding romantic relationships between staff and students, “the University relies upon
the integrity of both parties to ensure that abuses of power do not occur.”
Community and Wellbeing Officer Sam Dickinson said: “The findings of this report are unsurprising, and reflect the general trend in this area of research. While we applaud the University’s reforms on the personal relationship policy and mandatory consent training, there is always more work to do.”
“For example, the University information on sexual violence and reporting is often contradictory, scattered, or outdated – and with College Restructuring, vital frontline support is now absent without clear guidance on where else to go, meaning students may fall through the gaps. This is why we are working to ensure the University establishes a centralised source of information that is up to date, easy to read, and survivor-centric.”
“The last thing survivors need in times of crisis is to wade through walls of text, hyperlinks and bureaucracy – and the University should review their provisions to make it as easy as possible to get the support that is needed in people’s times of crisis.”