SOCIETY NEEDS TO RESPOND TO CAMPUS RAPE

As America reels over the latest developments in the Stanford rape case, new figures reveal that sexual assault is prevalent at UK universities too

AS GRAZIA went to press, Stanford University student and champion swimmer Brock Turner was released from Santa Clara County’s Main Jail after serving just three months of a six-month sentence for sexual assault. The 21-year-old’s case sparked outrage after judge Aaron Persky handed down the lenient sentence because he feared a longer term would have a ‘severe impact’ on Turner’s athletic career, as he was hoping to compete in the next Olympics – a point that was laboured throughout his trial.

The 23-year-old victim, who was rescued by two men after Turner was spotted ‘thrusting himself’ upon her after she had passed out outside a fraternity house, then wrote a powerful letter that she read to him in court and which subsequently went viral.

More than one million people signed petitions calling for Judge Persky’s removal, with jurors refusing to serve under him in subsequent cases. News of Turner’s early release was last week greeted with further angry protests.

But sexual assault on campus is not just an American problem. As thousands of students prepare for Freshers’ Week across the UK, here research shows that a third of female

students in Britain have also endured a sexual assault or unwanted advance at university. And worryingly, almost half (43%) of women who have experienced sexual assault or abuse on campus didn’t report their ordeal.

What’s more, figures from a survey conducted by the National Union of Students (NUS) revealed that 50% of female students across England and Scotland identified ‘prevailing sexism and a culture of harassment’.

One person who wants institutions to put students’ safety first is Nathalie Greenfield. Nathalie, 24, was a student at the University of Cambridge last year when she was attacked after a sports social party by a fellow student she knew. Her attacker followed her back to her bedroom in her nearby accommodation block, forcibly undressed her and raped her.

There are plenty of parallels between the two stories: like Turner, Nathalie’s attacker was a privileged sportsman at a prestigious university. Both women had boyfriends at the time and neither expressed any form of consent. But, unlike Brock’s victim, Nathalie didn’t report it to police. ‘I was discouraged by my college and didn’t feel strong enough to be interrogated by police,’ she told Grazia. ‘I knew the system was rigged against people who take these complaints to authoritative bodies, and not feeling strong enough, I didn’t. The onus was very much on me and what I did wrong – I was asked repeatedly how much I’d drunk and what I was wearing.

‘The way both situations were dealt with is indicative of how rape is viewed in society. Turner’s victim couldn’t be believed either – which is exactly how I felt. A privileged college athlete called the shots yet again. Something has to change. Society needs to respond.’

NUS Women’s Officer Hareem Ghani says: ‘NUS research shows that 17% of freshers have been victims of some form of sexual harassment during their first week, and 66% stated they weren’t aware of the procedure to report these incidents. The Women’s Campaign at NUS has been working to bring sexual harassment and violence on campus to the forefront of national conversation. These incidents are completely unacceptable and it is essential we work towards ending sexual harassment and violence against women in education. If universities do not take urgent and decisive action, they are letting their students down.’