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Campaign Launched to Change the Culture of Sexual Harassment and Assault on UK University Campuses

  • The Northern Quota launches the Change the Culture campaign.
  • NQ reporter Fionn Burrows leads the campaign, aiming to raise awarenessabout the levels of sexual harrassment and assault on university campuses
  • Our main goal is to petition the governement to help introduce anonymous reporting systems across UK university campuses so that sex crimes don't go go unreported or unpunished

Currently, 4%of women nationally claim they have experienced rape but this number rises to 8% on UK university campuses according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics. Why is this the case? What can be done to change the culture?

According to a 2018 survey conducted by Revolt Sexual Assaultand The Student Room 50%of female respondents had experienced sexual harassment as students and 42% revealed they had been assaulted, with groping and unwarranted touching being the most common experiences.

Change the Culture is a campaign aimed at ending campus rape culture and making them sexual assault and harassment free. Through this we will raise awareness about the levels of sexual harassment and assault currently plaguing own universities and target the problem at the source with out #dontbeadick campaign.

Working with charities and individuals we are bringing you the stories of victims and advice on how to stay safe and what to do in the event of witnessing such behavior.

We aim this campaign at Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP (Education Secretary) and Victoria Atkins MP (Minister for Women) as our focus is for the government to introduce legislative change that makes funds available to universities in order for them to  introduce anonymous sexual assault and harassment reporting systems across campuses nationally such as that which was pioneered by Cambridge University in 2017. Part of this will involve creating investigatory measures and referrals to police as just 6% of respondents felt comfortable reporting their experiences to their university and only 2% felt both able to report and satisfied with the reporting process, based on figures from Rape Crisis England and Wales.

These changes would give victims a safe and judgment free environment in which to report incidents and institutions would have the resources available to properly follow up on complaints and introduce preventer measures such as consent workshops and a visible security presence.

 

To keep updated on the campaign you can follow our campaign on social media:

Facebook –@changetheculturecampaign

Twitter –@changethecultu3

On our website:

changetheculture.home.blog

Or make your mark by signing our petition:

Change.org