FOREWORD
All university students, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, full-time or parttime, are entitled to enjoy a safe and positive experience at university. UK universities
have a duty to ensure that outcome. However, in recent years there has been
evidence, much of it generated by the notable efforts of the National Union of
Students (NUS), which shows that some students have experienced episodes of
harassment, hate crime, or sexual violence, and that their university may not always
have responded effectively.
In recognition of this, and in response to a letter from the universities minister which
asked Universities UK (UUK) to take action to address the issues raised, UUK
established a Taskforce to examine violence against women, harassment and hate
crime. It consisted of university leaders, student representatives and academic
experts. The Taskforce considered harassment in all its forms, but prioritised issues
of sexual violence and harassment.
On sexual violence explicitly, there is no comprehensive data available to indicate
how many UK university students are affected by such incidents. The evidence is
limited to NUS survey findings. Nonetheless, the potential impact of any such
incident on a student may be so serious in nature that universities must be equipped
to respond effectively and engage in prevention initiatives.
The Taskforce consulted widely and considered extensive evidence on harassment,
hate crime and violence against women. Many universities submitted evidence to
highlight the steps they and their students’ unions are already taking to address these
issues. These activities cover effective responses to reported incidents, and
mechanisms to prevent them from arising in the first place. It is clear that within the
sector there is a visible commitment to protecting students and providing appropriate
and effective support to them when needed. Nonetheless, the evidence also showed
that institutions could be more systematic in their approaches, and that not every
university had all of the necessary building blocks in place for effective prevention
and response.
The report makes a number of recommendations, which I believe will drive
meaningful change across the higher education sector, and taken together should
result in a more consistent and effective approach to addressing harassment, hate
crime and violence against women at and beyond university campuses.
This report represents a starting point. More work is to come. As UUK Chief
Executive and Chair of the Taskforce I remain committed to progressing its excellent
work. This will include building upon the case studies and the sharing of good
practice identified in this report, so that across the sector and to the extent that it is
possible, we can ensure that violence, harassment and hate crime affecting university
students is a thing of the past.
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