University Of Sydney: Survey Finds One In Four Students Sexually Harassed Or Assaulted

Trigger warning: This article discusses rape and sexual abuse.

The University of Sydney has become the center of controversy this week, with a newly-released survey confirming regular instances of harassment among students.

The results of the survey (completed in September of 2015 by 1926 respondents) note that one in four students experienced some form of sexual harassment while enrolled.

When the stats were broken down by gender, it was revealed that more than one third of undergraduate women (39.76 per cent) had been victims “of at least one unacceptable behaviour experience since enrolling at university”.

Of those, 16.96 per cent were sexually harassed, 11.88 per cent were stalked, 5.1 per cent were sexually assaulted, 4.22 per cent were in abusive relationships and 1.6 per cent were raped.

(Only 6.2 per cent of these incidents took place on campus or at a university-related event.)

Sydney Uni has had to concede that “awareness of exiting processes for reporting and support was not widespread”, with more than half of all students (56.83 per cent) saying they wanted to know how and where to seek help on campus for unwanted sexual experiences.

Most alarming was the minuscule number of reported incidents.

"A relatively small percentage (eg 1.4 per cent or less) of even the most serious incidents are reported. The rate of reporting within the university was 1 per cent of incidents reported to an official on campus," the report reads.

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

The results of the survey come after a number of controversial accounts from Sydney Uni students, including that of a “slut-shaming” journal produced by residents of the school’s Wesley College.

On Tuesday, student protesters “occupied Wesley” in response to the journal.

Protestors leave chanting 'No more slut shaming, no more victim blaming' #occupywesley pic.twitter.com/fBcyqmEfBB

— Nina Dillon Britton (@n_dillonbritton) May 16, 2016

@Sydney_Uni students hold protest outside Wesley, say "sexual assault will not be ignored" #auspol #occupywesley pic.twitter.com/vLYgiHn9Wv

— ASEN (@ASENenviro) May 16, 2016

Another of the uni’s colleges, St Andrew’s College, was also this week accused of “ritualistic humiliation”, thanks to weekly broadcasts over the PA systems detailing sexual encounters between students, including an alleged instance of assault.

So, where to from here?

The study recommends the university develop clear statements on what is acceptable behaviour on campus, and continue reviews of the incident and complaint handling mechanisms, as well as existing Campus Security.

Most significantly, it has been recommended that the internal staff consultation and triage hotline “be augmented to provide additional guidance to staff on appropriate responses to reported incidents of sexual harassment and 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: iStock.