Sexual assault survivors from universities across Australia are telling their stories of harassment and mistreatment online following the harrowing Australian Human Rights Commission report released earlier today.
The report found that while over half of the nation’s uni students experienced sexual harassment or assault in 2016, 90% of incidents were unreported.
That’s just the tip of the report’s iceberg with other stats including that LGBTIQ people, particularly trans people, are sexually assaulted at a much higher rate than women, and about two-thirds of perpetrators are male. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students with a disability were also more likely to be sexually assaulted.
Over 30,000 students from 39 Australian universities were surveyed.
Amongst the stats are a number of written submissions that detail students’ experiences, including some who were forced to drop out of their courses following these abuses.
Nothing has changed. When I was an undergrad @ uni I was stalked. Much worse happened to friends & it still happens. #ChangeTheCourse
— @Becadroit@aus.social (@becadroit) August 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/AJ_Whittaker/status/892273633527123970
https://twitter.com/AJ_Whittaker/status/892274068220592128
my uni told me that the actions I wanted them to take against my perpetrator are for serious misconduct: like plagiarism #ChangetheCourse
— wow (@rather_normal) August 1, 2017
me: i was sexually assaulted by a former resident and student
uni exec: im sorry u were made to feel uncomfortable#ChangeTheCourse— wow (@rather_normal) August 1, 2017
I was called a lying slut on anonymous ANU ‘confessions’ pages. What did the uni say? “Have you tried the block function?” #ChangeTheCourse
— wow (@rather_normal) August 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/reubenacciano/status/892306023343570944
https://twitter.com/Xanthrax_/status/892211069157908480
A number of high- and low- profile MRAs have come out to condemn the report for its feminist agenda (~cough~ Mark Latham). We are choosing not to include those tweets as they are a distraction from the uh, actual issues, raised.
Disappointed but not surprised that a large % of men are responding to the AHRC report with “nuh uh ot didn’t happen”#ChangeTheCourse ✊🙅
— Nic Dowse (@nicoladowse) August 1, 2017
The recommendations of the report include targeted education campaigns for universities, improved reporting measures and responses to sexual assault and harassment, and an independent expert-led review into residential colleges, where such incidents were found to be most rampant. Universities Australia have released their own ten-point action plan.
The federal government, under Education Minister Simon Birmingham, will be working with universities to address the findings and recommendations of the AHRC’s report. Most of the universities surveyed have already committed to implementing both sets of recommendations, and some have even announced further initiatives aimed at reducing the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault on campus.
Universities Australia have set up a specialist counselling hotline for people affected by sexual harassment and assault at university at 1800 572 224.
We believe you. We hear you. What happened to you was not your fault. You are not alone. #EndRapeOnCampus #ChangeTheCourse
— End Rape on Campus Australia (@EROCAustralia) August 1, 2017
