University students are taking a stand against sexual assaults on campuses, calling for increased support, education, and a step away from victim-blaming.
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University of Tasmania students headed to Canberra’s Parliament House on Friday to call for increased action to combat sexual assault in university communities.
The students brought with them a set of 12 demands, which included the establishment of a permanent 1800 hotline, education for university students and staff, and a reporting overhaul.
University of Tasmania Women’s Collective president Saffire Grant traveled to Canberra for the protest and said sexual assaults were going under the radar.
“People don’t feel like they can talk about it and they don’t hear other people’s stories – people are silent,” Ms Grant said.
“There’s not a lot of encouragement to report and the reporting processes aren’t very visible and require a lot of work on the behalf of the person reporting.
“The perpetrator is often the person who’s negotiated with rather than the victim.”
Ms Grant said universities needed to show more support for victims and “stop trying to protect the perpetrators”.
“It’s actually really sad that we still have to do this, it’s disgusting that rape culture is not taken seriously and is treated as a myth,” she said.
“We’re not going to be silenced, we’re not going to be minimised, and we’re not going to be delayed.”
University of Tasmania deputy Vice-Chancellor of research Brigid Heywood said there were a range of supports in place to ensure students felt safe and supported on campus.
Professor Heywood said this ranged from physical infrastructure to counselling services and online tools.
“We want to create an awareness for the safe campus, both through the physical artefacts but also the nature of the conversation we perpetuate in the community,” she said.
“Part of our engagement with this is creating an environment where people are comfortable to report and feel supported.”