Half of all university students harassed over sex
MORE THAN half of university students in the UK have been exposed to unwanted sexual behaviour like inappropriate touching, explicit messages or being forced into sex, research claims.
A survey suggests 56 per cent of those questioned had experienced unwanted behaviours ranging from cat-calling to being forced into sexual acts.
However, figures released by the sexual health and wellbeing charity Brook found that only eight per cent of them have reported an offence.
The poll of 5,649 UK university students found that only 25 per cent of those who were forced into having sex went on to report it.
Helen Marshall, chief executive of Brook, said: “If ever there was a reminder of the importance of high quality, comprehensive relationships and sex education (RSE) in schools and universities – this is it.
“We are failing our young people if they don’t know that the law protects them from the unwanted behaviours they are experiencing.
“Furthermore, we are failing to equip and empower young people to navigate their sexual lives and relationships.”
More than half, some 53 per cent of the 3,136 who experienced unwanted sexual behaviour, said it was from another student. Thirty per cent of the incidents took place on campus.
The data showed that only three per cent of the women who were sent sexually explicit messages reported it.
Almost half of the 3,732 women who took part in the survey said they were inappropriately touched, with just five per cent reporting the incident.
Of the 56 per cent who experienced unwanted sexual behav-
iours, only 15 per cent realised it counted as sexual harassment. Only 52 per cent of the respondents understood it is not possible to give consent while drunk.
The survey showed that relationships and sex education (RSE) is still heavily focused on STIs and pregnancy, with only half of those surveyed having received information on consent and 31 per cent on harassment.
A spokeswoman for Universities UK (UUK) said: “It is important to create an environment where students feel able to come forward with the confidence that an incident will be addressed, meaning research like this from Brook – although based on a selfselecting sample – forms an important part of making progress.
“UUK continues to work with the sector and will publish recommendations in the spring on what further action is necessary to drive improvement in this important agenda.”