Damning Stats Show Sexual Assault Is Still Rampant At Australian Unis
Over 85 percent of perpetrators were men, and one in 20 were staff members.
One in six students have been sexually harassed and one in 20 sexually assaulted at Australian universities, a new report has revealed.
The National Student Safety Survey gathered data from nearly 44,000 students nationwide and found that women are far more likely to be assaulted than men, while LGBTIQ, non-binary, Indigenous, culturally diverse, and students living with disabilities were also at greater risk.
In the last year alone, eight percent of participants said they had been sexually harassed, and one in 90 sexually assaulted. Over 85 per cent of perpetrators were men, and one in 20 were staff members. Interviews conducted with 1800 students found a spike in online harassment as well, including inappropriate messages during video classes, and being sent nudes without consent.
A breakdown of different universities found Bond University on the Gold Coast ranked first in the prevalence of sexual assault at 13.2 percent, followed by the Australian National University in Canberra, and James Cook University in Townsville.
Women’s Officer at the University of Sydney’s Student Representative Council Madeleine Clark told Junkee she was initially surprised at the stats, given the research was conducted during COVID when a lot of students weren’t on campus as often. However, she said that because tertiary education institutions across the country haven’t done all too much to address the issue since the last report in 2016, the findings are as sad as they are predictable.
“There’s no real motivation for universities to do anything meaningful. They’ve been cutting funding to universities in general for years, so that’s really affected student services, and the universities themselves want to cover up their own statistics.”
Clark said more investment is needed to help students lodge formal complaints, make clear what and where reporting channels are, and how to access help and assistance.
“One thing we saw is that lots of people don’t know where to go to report these things. There needs to be a lot more transparency, a lot more support for survivors, and a lot more discussion with students about how to help them on campus.”
“Every person who attends university has the right to believe they will be treated with respect, dignity and fairness…”
“A lot of people don’t feel heard when it comes to sexual assault,” said Clark. “It’s reflective of the culture of Australia, which we’ve seen with the Federal Government as well, and how they’ve ‘dealt’ with these issues.”
Universities Australia, the sector body which funded the report, has advised that direct comparisons between the last two reports should be avoided because the survey methodology had changed in the five years between them, according to the Guardian.
“On behalf of the Universities Australia and its 39 members, I am deeply sorry,” said its Chair John Dewar. “Every person who attends university has the right to believe they will be treated with respect, dignity and fairness.”
The National Union of Students Women’s Department and USYD Women’s Collective are holding a protest to stop sexual violence on campuses in response to the NSSS report at Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday, April 5.
Photo Credit: University of Sydney Women’s Collective/Facebook