University campuses should not be singled out as hotbeds of sexual abuse and harassment but changes to need to be made at education institutions.
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That’s according to a sexual abuse advocate responding to steps taken by the University of Tasmania to move towards zero instances of sexual abuse and harassment on its campuses across the state.
Sexual abuse support service president Jill Maxwell said the plan by the university was “very thorough” and it showed the institution was taking ownership of its problem.
She said demand for SASS’ services had increased by more than 30 per cent in the last financial year, a statistic that wasn’t negative, she said.
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“It just means more people are accessing our services and it’s not just survivors but their family and support people too,” she said.
Ms Maxwell said sexual assault and harassment was a community-wide problem and, while it wasn’t pertinent to just UTAS it was great to see them being a leader for others to follow.
SASS has been engaged by the university to help with its training procedures, which is part of its action plan to address sexual assault harassment on campus.
A report released by the university on Monday found a ‘culture’ of tribalism at university campuses that could lead to an increase in the potential for sexual assault and harassment.
In addition, the people surveyed in the report, which included university staff and student representatives, pointed to alcohol as a significant cultural factor.
The report was commissioned by the university but conducted by independent experts to evaluate the university’s response.
The university is adopting a total of 54 recommendations from two recent reports into sexual assault and sexual harassment.
The Human Rights Commission released the Change the Course national report on sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities in August 2017 and included findings on every Australian university.