Oxford students report 15-fold rise in rape and sexual assault

THE University of Oxford has seen a 15fold rise in sexual harassment and violence allegations in the space of a year, a report has found.

The largest cluster of students who sought help from the specialist support service were undergraduates who had experienced rape or sexual assault during their freshers’ week.

The university launched a sexual harassment and violence support service in Oct 2018, and has now published a report into its work so far.

The service received 167 referrals for sexual harassment and violence between Oct 2018 and the Aug 2019, which was a “significant increase” compared to the previous year where only 11 cases were recorded, according to the report.

Authors of the report noted that the perception that sexual violence means “stranger rape in an alley is largely incorrect”. They went on: “Instances of sexual violence in Oxford match that of the true picture with instances occurring between people who are known to one another. Our initial expectation was that a majority of cases would relate to recent [less than a week old] incidents, however the casework so far has predominantly related to incidents that occurred six months to one year previously.

“Indeed the largest individual group of students seeking support are second-year undergraduates coming to speak about an incident of rape or sexual assault that happened in or around freshers’ week the previous year.”

Dr Anna Bull, founder of the 1752 Group, which campaigns against social misconduct, said several studies show that when students are in their first year at university they are “more likely to experience sexual violence”.

She said: “The high demand for this service confirms what we already know – that when universities set up support services for sexual violence they will receive a high level of disclosures. This doesn’t mean that they have a bigger problem than previously – it means more students are getting support who wouldn’t have done previously. This is very positive.”

Earlier this year, the higher education watchdog said universities that fail to deal with harassment and sexual misconduct could be fined up to £500,000. Institutions that are “letting down” students with “ineffective and inadequate” mechanisms for dealing with incidents face crippling financial penalties and even their public funding being cut off, the Office for Students warned in January.

Gillian Hamnett, the University of Oxford’s director of student welfare and support services, said the response to its Sexual Violence and Harassment Service was “encouraging”. She added: “Supporting the well-being, safety and mental health of all of our students is always a key priority.”