Lawyers Offering Free Advice At University Of Sydney Struggling With Spike In Assault Complaints

Trigger warning: This article discusses rape and sexual abuse.

The lawyers offering University of Sydney students free legal advice are calling on the uni to hire a full-time discrimination solicitor.

Thomas McLoughlin and Annie Zeng have said student demand for legal help has reached “saturation”, due to a surge of sexual harassment and assault complaints.

Speaking with the university’s paper Honi Soit, McLoughlin said the SRC legal office is struggling to handle the increased reportage of offences.

Earlier this year, a survey conducted by the university found one in four students experience some form of sexual harassment while enrolled. The results emerged shortly after student protesters “occupied Wesley” (as in, the school’s Wesley College) after a “slut-shaming” journal produced by its residents emerged.

The survey also revealed that "a relatively small percentage (eg 1.4 per cent or less) of even the most serious incidents are reported.”

Among those who reported incidents, 41 per cent said that the uni's formal procedures “did not help them deal with the problem.”

“If Sydney University wants to provide leadership and wants to be ahead of the game, yes there probably would be an increase in [sexual assault and harassment] statistics, but that wouldn’t be a result of increased offending, it would be because of increased reportage,” McLoughlin said.

Zeng added that their work-load has doubled when compared with previous years, during which time they were employed part-time.

“Special care and attention should be provided to victims of sexual assault because they’re not only having these legal issues, but they’re also emotionally vulnerable too,” she said.

A dedicated solicitor, they argue, would be able to provide moral support and also handle online harassment.

A spokesperson for the university told Honi Soit that relevant staff were undergoing training on handling complaints of sexual assault.

Are you experiencing sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Photo: Facebook / University of Sydney.