Universities Australia survey reveals shocking scale of sexual assaults, harassment among uni students in South Australia
A new survey has revealed the shocking frequency of sexual assaults – and a lack of awareness among students on how to report it and get help.
SA News
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About 1 in 25 South Australian university students has been sexually assaulted since starting their course, a survey has found – and about half have no idea how to report it or seek help.
Universities Australia has released data from its National Student Safety Survey, showing 4.2 per cent of Flinders University respondents had been assaulted – slightly more than the number of University of SA and Adelaide University students who reported assaults in the survey.
Across the state’s main universities, between 12 and 19 per cent of students also said they had been sexually harassed.
About 3300 students at Adelaide, Flinders and the University of South Australia responded to the survey. Of those, 117 had been assaulted since starting university and 553 had been sexually harassed.
Universities Australia found that across the nation, almost half of respondents had been sexually harassed at least once in their lifetime.
Chairman John Dewar said the results were “distressing, disappointing and confronting”.
“The survey results are part of a growing body of evidence in Australia which shows that
sexual harassment and sexual assault are pervasive in all corners of our society,” he said.
“As a nation, this cannot be tolerated, and as a sector, we will continue to be part of the solution.”
The survey found about half of SA students who responded knew nothing or very little about where to go to complain about sexual assault or harassment, of how to seek support.
Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling said he was concerned about the number of students unaware of where to complain.
The university will work with the student council and wider cohort to expand the available information, and ensure it resonates with students by developing its messaging.
It will also train more people on how to respond to harassment.
UniSA Vice-Chancellor David Lloyd said a steering group that considers the university’s policies, procedures, reporting and measures to address sexual harassment and assault, would review the findings. It would then consider how to address issues raised in the report.
University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor Peter Hoj said the “only acceptable number of cases is zero”.
“The university will be working through the student feedback provided by students, and the suggested actions in the report, to determine how we can best implement them,” he said.
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