Sexual Violence and Sexual Abuse Awareness Week - But What About Action?
Flavia Gouveia
In 2016 students at Queen’s University Belfast conducted a survey which found that almost 170 had been sexually assaulted, while 246 students had been the victim of an attempted sexual assault. Has enough been done in the seven years since the survey? The Scoop and the QUB Feminist and Equality Society are launching a new survey to find out.
The Stand Together report was conducted by the Student Consent Research Collaboration (SCORE) and surveyed over three thousand students, around 12 per cent of the student population at that time.
The report's findings were stark, with students in their hundreds reporting unwanted sexual experiences, from sexual assault to receiving unwanted sexual images.
One-third of the student's surveyed reported experiencing unwanted touching of a sexual nature, while one in 10 students said they had received unwanted images of a sexual nature.
Local media outlets, including the BBC and the Belfast Telegraph, picked up the report’s results. SCORE called for increased work around consent education on campus and support for victims of sexual assault.
Seven years after the report, there are concerns that not enough is being done to tackle sexual violence on campus. Students report concerns that the existing Report + Support service is inadequate and that more must be done to educate students on consent.
To mark Sexual Violence and Sexual Abuse Awareness Week, The Scoop, together with the QUB Feminist & Equality Society (Fem Soc) is launching a new survey which will aim to determine the amount of non-consensual or unwanted sexual experiences taking place among QUB students.
Speaking about the initiative, President of the Fem Soc Róisín Keenan, said: “This survey is so important. It will give people the space to share any experiences of sexual violence, harassment, unwanted experiences, or assault they have experienced in a completely anonymous way.”
“The most important thing is for everyone who takes part to know that we believe them and stand with them; you are more than a statistic; you are survivors.”
The survey will take a format similar to the original research conducted in 2016, allowing data to be compared and any trends to be identified. Advisors from Common Youth have reviewed the survey, and all data collected will be anonymised and confidential.
The data collected will be shared with the University and QUBSU, highlighting areas where more work is required to protect students. Speaking about how this data can be used, Róisín said: “Knowing people's experiences on this matter enables us to call for more awareness, stronger preventative measures, and stronger responses to it. It will show us where and what we need to do better as a university, a community, and as a society to crack down on sexual violence.”
The topics covered in the survey are sensitive and opening up about these experiences will be difficult for people to do, even anonymously. The survey includes details of organisations which provide support and we would urge anyone completing the survey to avail of the support provided by these organisations.
Urging students to complete the survey Róisín said: “Help us make Queen's safer.”
You can access and complete the survey here.
Flavia Gouveia is The Scoop’s Science and Environment Editor and a Journalism MA Student at Ulster University.