The Hunting Ground

Uni Residences: Invest in training to prevent sexual assault

Young women attending universities are being sexually assaulted at horrifying rates - and a recent Australian Human Rights Commission report shows that those living in uni residences are at a particularly high risk.

Training in consent and sexual violence is absolutely critical to address sexual violence on campus. Students should be taught about informed and active consent; how to intervene safely if they think someone else might be unsafe; and how to respond if one of their friends discloses that they've been assaulted.

Can you join the call for university residences to do everything possible to create a safe environment for students -- starting with training all students and relevant staff in consent and the prevention of sexual assault?

You can view the results of Fair Agenda's 2018 residence training survey here.

*If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for 24/7 support.

 

Find out more (click to view)

A Human Rights Commission Report into sexual violence on campus revealed that 1 in 10 female university students had been sexually assaulted in 2015 or 2016, and that women living on campus are at particularly high risk.
Only 7% of students were living on campus in 2015/16. But those students made up 34% of those who were sexually assaulted in the same two year period.

Why do we need training? Too many students don’t know what it means to get informed consent; and genuinely want to know more about how to have good, consensual sex. They need the tools to understand how to ethically approach decision making around their sexual relationships; and also how to safely intervene if they think a friend might be at risk. What’s more, students say that staff dealing with disclosures often don’t know how to respond - training welfare staff is important to ensure that a student who has worked up the courage to come forward isn't re-traumatised by the process. 

3,784 SIGNATURES SO FAR

Sign the petition

Dear Australian university residences,

We are calling on all university residences to do everything possible to prevent sexual assault on campuses across Australia.

We urge every university residence to ensure that all students and relevant campus staff are provided with best-practice training in sexual consent and prevention of sexual assault.

Signed,

* required fields

Latest activity

Eric , 2480  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:24:08 +1100
Diana , 2830  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:23:56 +1100
"Students need to feel safe, and to BE safe."
Henrietta , 2483  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:22:33 +1100
Jan , 3088  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:22:15 +1100
Mark , 3088  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:20:57 +1100
Belinda , 2203  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:20:03 +1100
Melinda , 4212  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:19:13 +1100
"Many who experience sexual assault (both men and women) never step forward or press charges because of shame, fear, and the appalling treatment that our justice system metes out to those who do step forward. The consequences can be dire and include dropping out of university, stealing not only their dignity and sense of safety but also robbing them of their future and their dream. Seeking an education, especially when one has to move far from home, should be a protected right for all students."
Judith , 2050  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:19:06 +1100
Jude , 3068  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:19:01 +1100
"I am an academic working in a university that has unsafe after-hours access to its main car park – poor lighting, surrounded by trees and a long way from any other buildings, so calls for help are unlikely to be heard."
Heather , 3068  /  signed 2016-10-10 16:19:01 +1100
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