Australian university students have shared harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault in a damning new report that shows the prevalence of these incidents at institutions across the country.
In what was labelled a “difficult day” for the university sector, a study of almost 44,000 students released on Wednesday found that one in six students had been sexually harassed since starting university, while one in 20 had been sexually assaulted.
The 2021 National Student Safety Survey, undertaken by The Social Research Centre, asked students — studying both on- and off-campus — from 38 Australian universities about their experiences.
One in 12 students experienced sexual harassment in a university setting in the past 12 months, but the report notes many opted or were required to study from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus reducing opportunities for in-person perpetration or witnessing of sexual harassment and sexual assault.