Sexual assault alleged monthly at university halls
Claims of sexual assault in Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka’s halls of residence have averaged one per month in the past year.
The university’s students’ association president, Ralph Zambrano, recently confirmed that sexual assault in halls of residence was an ongoing issue that was worse around orientation week – a week of partying that traditionally started each academic year.
University spokesperson Jo Fisher said the size of the university – about 22,000 students and 3000 staff – meant it was the size of a small town: ‘‘We grapple with all the complexities of any community of this scale.’’
Each hall of residence had a ‘‘student interest and conflict resolution adviser’’. These advisers had received 12 sexual assault allegations between the end of
October in 2021 and the same time in 2022. Three of those were formal complaints and nine were informal. She said the university was unable to supply the specific outcomes of the claims. The university lists 13 halls on its website.
Official Information Act requests in 2018 revealed there were dozens of sexual misconduct complaints at halls of residence nationally.
Victoria University and Dunedin’s Otago University had the highest number of complaints in their halls in the previous two years.
Students at the privately-run Te Puni Village at Victoria University in 2021 accused management of an ‘‘absence of transparency and action’’ regarding allegations of sexual misconduct by a student in the hall.
Fisher said an independent review into how the university managed the situation found its response was ‘‘appropriate and consistent’’ with university policies. The full review has been requested under the Official Information Act. Staff gave information to hall residents before moving in about ‘‘positive social norms’’, Fisher said.
‘‘This includes holding connection circles during the first week of move-in and supporting residents to complete online modules, which outline expected behaviours, provide information about sex and consent, and outline pathways for disclosing and reporting concerns.’’
Wellington City councillor
Tamatha Paul, a former Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association president, said education around consent when students arrived at university was positive but better education was needed at secondary and primary schools.
Universities had made steps to make it easier for people to report sexual abuse ‘‘but there’s obviously still a long way to go’’, Paul said.
Sexual harm was notoriously under-reported so the real number of cases would likely be higher.
A 2017 report by the group Thursdays in Black – a student-run campaign aimed at preventing and responding to sexual harm in tertiary spaces and providing support – found that 53% of students experienced some sort of sexual assault during their time in tertiary education.
It also found many felt sex education had been ‘‘unbalanced or intended to prevent them from making informed decisions about sex’’ and only 5% of respondents said sex education had been excellent. ‘‘In Our Own Words confirms that sexual violence does occur in tertiary and student communities,’’ said Thursdays in Black then-national coordinator Izzy O’Neill.
‘‘Now, something must be done about it. In Our Own Words reveals a clear mismatch between the ways that sexuality education is currently taught (or not taught) in high schools and how two fundamental areas of peoples’ lives are affected by this education.’’