Should Hazing Be Criminalised in Australia?

Following reports of hazing at University of Sydney’s colleges, we asked our members if hazing should be criminalised. Here’s one thoughtful response.

Trigger Warning: This article discusses sexual assault and suicide.

Hazing is nothing short of a crime and should be criminalised as such.

Students have been kicked, burned, drowned, punched, stripped, sexually abused and hurt in countless other disturbing ways as a purported form of initiation and team building for over a hundred years.

Hazing, by definition, involves harassment. Generally performed by senior members of a fraternity as a form of initiation for new members (pledges), common hazing techniques including forced alcohol consumption, strip challenges and verbal and physical abuse.

We’ve all seen hazing take place in film and TV, which in itself is a marker of how normalised this abuse has become.

Just last year, in October, a pledge died after being forced to drink 190-proof liquor. Within the last decade, at Tulane University, boiling water was poured on pledges. And in 1990, a University of Texas student had his clothes set on fire. These are just a handful of thousands and thousands of similar and sometimes worse incidents.

A report compiled by a professor at Franklin College found hazing-related deaths as far back as 1838. That’s nearly two hundred years. And hazing isn’t just an American phenomenon, either.

Last week, a 203-page report was released that looked into the hazing culture and misogyny permeating residential colleges in Australia, especially at the University of Sydney, where a young man took his life, having previously spent just one night at the institution.

Read More:

Disturbing Hazing Rituals of Freshman Students Revealed in Report on Sydney Uni's Colleges

One of the main reasons for hazing is that it builds team spirit and a sense of school pride. Explain to anyone, with a straight face, how being choked or punched or kidnapped fosters any of that.

Hazing is abuse, plain and simple, and its thousands of victims can attest to that.

In Australia, we’ve criminalised all practices that harm others. Murder, manslaughter, bodily harm—these are all legislated against. How is hazing any different?

As a systematic, premeditated form of harassment, hazing should absolutely be criminalised in Australia because it is a harmful, dangerous practice. The only difference between hazing and crimes like bodily harm and assault is that the former occurs on university campuses. And that is no excuse.

Have you experienced sexual assault or sexual violence? Seeking to support someone who has? Call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732. 

If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Congratulations to Nirzari for winning this week's writing challenge: Should Hazing Be Criminalised in Australia? Nirzari wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Competitions section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge

Photo: iStock.com/kokkai