Fears over low number of sex attack reports

Only a handful of cases recorded on university campuses

Campaigners fear cases of sexual harassment and sex attacks on campus are being under-reported as figures reveal only a handful of cases are being recorded.

Figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request by The Times showed nine of the 15 Scottish universities asked had recorded fewer than five cases since 2011.

Dundee University, which has nearly 16,000 students, recorded fewer than five incidents.

Glasgow University, which has more than 24,000 students, had 12 recorded incidents, while at Edinburgh University, which has more than 33,000 students, 49 incidents have been recorded since 2011 with 35 of them in the last academic year.

A Dundee University spokesman said: “We were asked to respond to a specific question, which we did, relating to cases reported to the university.

“We know these figures are unlikely to cover all cases, as instances of sexual assault or harassment are far more likely to be reported to authorities such as the police.

“We have worked closely with our Students’ Association on campaigns around zero tolerance of sexual harassment and creating a safe environment for our students.”

Glasgow Rape Crisis centre has started to work with local universities on student workshops and staff training.

Isabelle Kerr, who runs the centre, said: “If universities know it’s an issue and it’s being under-reported, then let’s do something about it.

“We’ve been training academic staff and also security at student halls of residence so that they can properly support students.”

Aberdeen University, where a student killed herself last year after her boyfriend attacked and abused her, did not provide figures.

Emily Drouet, 18, a first-year law student at Aberdeen University, was found dead on March 17, 2016.

Her boyfriend Angus Milligan, 21, was sentenced to community service after admitting behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards her in March last year at a student halls of residence in Aberdeen.

Ms Drouet’s mother Fiona, who now campaigns against gender based violence, told The Times: “There’s real denial that the problem exists but we can’t bury our heads in the sand any longer.”