Tackling Sexual Violence at Universities: An International Perspective

137 Pages·2019·3.712 MB·English

by  Graham J. Towl, Tammi Walker

‘Required reading for any university determined to tackle sexual violence on
campus.’
– Mary Curnock Cook OBE, Independent Educationalist and
former CEO of UCAS, UK
‘As a survivor of sexual assault … the fact that a book like this has even been
written ... makes me hopeful for … change.’
– Hannah Price, founder of Revolt Sexual Assault, UK
‘This book is an invaluable resource for any activists and academics working to
combat sexual violence in higher education institutions.’
– Sarah Lasoye, National Women’s Officer, NUS, UK
‘This book is a very helpful overview of the international efforts to tackle sexual
violence in higher education whilst highlighting good practice.’
– Clarissa Humphreys, Student Support and Training
Officer at Durham University, UK
‘Discussion of the work that has been carried out at Durham University, one of
the leading UK Universities in this area, is particularly valuable, and deserves to
be read by all those who are trying to make a difference within their
universities.’
– Anna Bull, 1752 Group, UK
‘There is an over-arching message from this valuable, well-researched and -written
study … that increased levels of reporting are to be counted as a success, not a
failure,andthatuniversityleadershipworldwideneedstoendorseandpromotethis
view.’
– Professor Dame Janet Beer, President, Universities UK
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TACKLING SEXUAL VIOLENCE AT
UNIVERSITIES
Sexual violence is a problem well beyond universities, however universities are uniquely well
placed to contribute to reducing sexual violence, encouraging those affected to come forward
and speak about their experiences and actively encourage increased reporting. This book is
unique, in that it offers an international perspective on the incidence, reporting and impact of
sexualviolenceatuniversities.
Drawing on evidence from the UK, North America, Australia and Europe, Towl and
Walker explore the psychological and structural challenges to reporting sexual violence. They
provide a set of policy and practice guidance recommendations that move beyond awareness
campaigns to call for systems to be put in place whereby reports of sexual assault are handled
promptly, fairly and consistently. They also discuss how universities can strengthen their
approach to prevention, promoting safeguarding and the welfare of victims and survivors, and
involving victims and survivors in the development and improvement of services. However,
fundamental to their approach is keeping decision making with the victim and survivor, and
emphasisingthattheirhealthandrecoveryisparamount.
TacklingSexualViolenceatUniversitiesisaninvaluableandground-breakingresourceforstu-
dents and researchers in forensic psychology and criminology, as well as professionals working
inhighereducation.
Graham J. Towl is Professor of Forensic Psychology at Durham University. He was formerly
Chief Psychologist at the Ministry of Justice, UK. He is the recipient of the British Psychological
SocietyAwardforDistinguishedContributionstoProfessionalPracticeandalsotheawardforforensic
academicknowledge.In2003hewaspeer-nominatedasthemostinfluentialforensicpsychologistin
theUK.Heiswidelypublishedand,asProViceChancelloratDurhamUniversity,hechairedthe
sector-leadingSexualViolenceTaskForce,whichhasreceivedwidespreadendorsements.
TammiWalkerisDeputyDirectorofTheCentreforAppliedResearchinHealth(CARH)andis
aReaderinForensicPsychologyattheUniversityofHuddersfield.SheisaCharteredPsychologist,
aFellowoftheBritishPsychological Societyand aRegisteredFellowwith theHigherEducation
Academy.Tammihascompletedworkinthisprofessionforover15yearsandhasanadvancedlevel
ofknowledgeinforensicmentalhealth,forensicpsychiatryandpsychology.
The authors are donating their royalties in full to Kirklees and Calderdale Rape & Sexual Abuse
Centre (KCRASAC), UK, a small registered charity that provides specialist therapy, counselling
advocacy and support for survivors of sexual or domestic violence and abuse. Running for nearly
30years,thecentreworkswithyoungpeopleandadultsovertheageof13.
New Frontiers in Forensic Psychology
Series editors Graham J. Towl and Tammi Walker
Graham J. Towl is Professor of Forensic Psychology at Durham University.
He is the recipient of the British Psychological Society Award for Distinguished
Contributions to Professional Practice. He is widely published and, as Pro Vice
Chancellor at Durham University, he chaired the sector-leading Sexual Violence
Task Force, which has received widespread endorsements.
Tammi Walker is Deputy Director of The Centre for Applied Research in
Health (CARH) and is a Reader in Forensic Psychology at the University of
Huddersfield. She is a Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of the British Psycho-
logical Society and has published in this area for over 15 years.
New Frontiers in Forensic Psychology brings together the most contemporary
research in core and emerging topics in the field, providing a comprehensive
review of new areas of investigation in forensic psychology and new perspectives
on existing topics of enquiry.
The series includes original volumes in which the authors are encouraged to
explore uncharted territory, make cross-disciplinary evaluations and, where pos-
sible, to break new ground.
The series is an essential resource for senior undergraduates, postgraduates,
researchersandpractitionersacrossforensicpsychology,criminologyandsocialpolicy.
Titles in the series:
Tackling Sexual Violence at Universities: An International Perspective by Graham
J. Towl and Tammi Walker
Understanding Psychopathy: The Biopsychosocial Perspective by Nicholas Thomson
TACKLING SEXUAL
VIOLENCE AT
UNIVERSITIES
An International Perspective
Graham J. Towl and Tammi Walker
Firstpublished2019
byRoutledge
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©2019GrahamJ.TowlandTammiWalker
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BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Towl,GrahamJ.,author.|Walker,Tammi,author.
Title:Tacklingsexualviolenceatuniversities:aninternational
perspective/GrahamJ.TowlandTammiWalker.
Description:Abingdon,Oxon;NewYork,NY:Routledge,2019.|
Series:Newfrontiersinforensicpsychology|Includesbibliographical
references.
Identifiers:LCCN2018053245(print)|LCCN2018059998(ebook)|
Subjects:LCSH:Rapeinuniversitiesandcolleges–Prevention–Cross-cultural
studies.|Rapeinuniversitiesandcolleges–Psychological
aspects–Cross-culturalstudies.|Educationandstate–Cross-culturalstudies.
Classification:LCCLB2345.3.R37(ebook)|LCCLB2345.3.R37T682019
(print)|DDC371.7/82–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2018053245
ISBN:978-0-8153-8527-1(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-8153-8528-8(pbk)
ISBN:978-1-351-20199-5(ebk)
TypesetinBembo
bySwales&Willis,Exeter,Devon,UK
CONTENTS
ForewordbyAlisonJohns,ChiefExecutive,AdvanceHE viii
Acknowledgements xi
1 Tacklingsexualviolenceatuniversities:themesandperspectives 1
2 Whatdoweknowaboutsexualviolence? 11
3 TacklingsexualviolenceatuniversitiesintheUK 22
4 SexualviolenceonUScampuses 38
5 SexualviolenceatAustralianuniversities 59
6 Canadianuniversitiesandsexualviolence 74
7 ReflectionsonrespondingtosexualviolenceinEuropean
universities 90
8 Tacklingsexualviolenceandmisconduct:whatdouniversities
intheUKneedtodo? 101
Index 116
FOREWORD
All higher education providers will want to ensure that their students have a safe
environment in which they can live, work and study both on and off campus.
As well as a general duty of care to their students, higher education (HE) pro-
viders in England, Scotland and Wales have specific duties stemming from the
Equality Act 2010, and specifically from the Public Sector Equality Duty which
requires that public bodies, or those who exercise public functions, must, in the
exercise of those functions, ‘ … have due regard to the need to eliminate dis-
crimination and harassment and the need to foster good relationships between
different groups when they formulate policies and practices’.
Issues of sexual violence and harassment have had a high profile over the past
few years. This is due to extensive reports across the world, particularly in sport,
the entertainment industry and in public life. The #MeToo movement against
sexual harassment and assault has driven high levels of media coverage and
public interest in this area.
The responsibility of our HE providers for tackling sexual violence within
their institutions, as considered by Professor Towl’s and Dr Walker’s timely
book, is set within this broader societal and international context. However, as
they point out, higher education providers, as educators, are in a special position
to be able to drive positive change:
sexual violence is a problem well beyond universities in wider society too.
Nonetheless universities are uniquely well placed to contribute to reducing
sexual violence. If it is the case that universities can make a difference, and
we think we can, then surely it is incumbent upon us to do so.
As a sector, we must acknowledge the traumatic impact that sexual violence and
misconduct can have on students, during what should be the most exciting time
Foreword ix
of their lives. The impact of such incidents on students is often life changing
and can affect their physical and mental health, as well as their academic out-
comes and future careers.
Professor Towl and Dr Walker outline evidence for the widespread preva-
lence rates but significant under-reporting of sexual violence and harassment
within society generally, and specifically among HE providers both in the UK
and internationally. Two key actions are required by providers to help drive up
the numbers of students reporting occurrences:
1 They must encourage students to report such incidents through prominent
awareness-raising campaigns, student and staff training and the implementa-
tion of clear reporting systems and procedures.
2 They must provide demonstrable emotional and practical support to vic-
tims/survivors to help them through the reporting process, which will in
turn encourage others to report in future.
The authors call for ‘making reporting the new norm’ within our HE pro-
viders. This may also contribute to prevention, since, as they point out, there is
evidence to suggest that if perpetrators believe that they may be reported it can
deter at least some of them.
Many higher education providers in the UK have made considerable progress
in putting in place a coordinated set of actions needed to both prevent and
respond to incidents of student to student sexual violence and harassment. This
progress has been driven by the campaigning of NUS and other lobbying and
research organisations from 2010 onwards, and particularly by the Changing the
Culture report by Universities UK’s Harassment Taskforce in 2016, which con-
tained a set of specific recommendations on effective prevention and response.
Despite evidence of progress being made in this area by higher education pro-
viders, the authors conclude that this is highly uneven across the sector.
This conclusion is borne out by work undertaken by Advance HE in this
area. In 2017/18 we supported Universities UK’s assessment of progress made
by the higher education sector since the publication of Changing the Culture.
Our report for Universities UK, Changing the Culture: One Year On, was based
on our research with 20 higher and further education institutions in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. This study found that although many providers are
making progress in implementing the Taskforce’s recommendations, very differ-
ent approaches are being taken. We found that most providers were not yet
taking the ‘institution-wide’ approach advocated by the Taskforce. This
approach requires active senior leadership of change and plugging initiatives into
existing governance structures to ensure that these issues are addressed in
a cross-cutting way across the organisation.
More recently, Advance HE has been undertaking further research in this
area as part of our role as the independent evaluator of the Office for Students’
Catalyst student safeguarding initiative, which has provided funding for over 100