1,977

of 5,000 signatures

To The Minister for Further and Higher Education

We, the undersigned, call for urgent action to be directed to addressing the poor handling of sexual assault allegations, within UK universities.

The UK Parliament, in 2022, voted to prohibit universities from entering into Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) about complaints of sexual misconduct, abuse, bullying, harassment or discrimination. While this was a positive step towards ending the silencing of victims through NDAs, it did not put a stop to the problematic handling of sexual assault allegations, within UK Universities.

Universities in the UK continue to fall well short, in terms of supporting both victims and the accused. They often have inadequate reporting and support mechanisms and delegate the handling of serious allegations to untrained staff who lack the appropriate expertise.

Colleges and universities frequently deal with reports in a piecemeal, ‘ad hoc’ basis, described by those with expertise, as a “massive shambles”. Often, the relevant policies are difficult to locate, confusing, unapproved or out of date, and/or inconsistent.

Perhaps most alarmingly, many UK universities are actively covering up sexual assault allegations, rather than properly investigating them, and also blocking vital research (e.g. on the prevalence of sexual assaults) due to fear of reputational damage.

For true victims, the mishandlings of sexual assault allegations can lead to further harm as the perpetrator is not appropriately disciplined and thus can easily re-offend. For the falsely accused, this can lead to situations in which they are completely unable to clear their name, as the issue is swept under the carpet, with no attempt being made to ascertain the credibility of an allegation.

Noting the disproportionate and devastating impact of this issue, we call for immediate action.

Open letter text

We call on you (the Minister for Further and Higher Education) to:

1. Mandate holistic consent and respectful relationships training in every UK university; and ensure that the mandated sex education is inclusive of different sexualities.

2. Call for universities to publish annual data on sexual harassment, allowing for a more accurate picture on the prevalence of sexual misconduct in the sector.

3. Demand that universities offer a process that is fair to the complainant and the respondent, offering them equal rights and protections in the procedure for investigating sexual misconduct complaints (e.g ensure both are signposted to dedicated guidance and support from a specialist sexual assault and harassment adviser).

4. Call for the higher education regulator, the Office for Students, to urgently impose mandatory requirements for universities, thus enforcing (rather than only recommending) minimum guidelines, in the handling of sexual assault allegations.

5. Urgently review the use of No Contact Agreements (NCAs) and No Contact Orders (NCOs), absent any investigation, in the context of sexual assault allegations (noting the risk of NCAs and/or NCOs being used to cover up serious allegations, without properly investigating).

6. Call for universities to encourage students to report allegations of sexual misconduct to the Office for Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals (OSCCA), which is specially resourced to investigate these allegations.

7. Urge universities to mandate training for college and University officers on how to adequately and fairly support students impacted by sexual assault allegations, with a focus on aspects such as understanding and avoiding potential biases.

8. Introduce systems and procedures that allow for sexual misconduct cases to be dealt with by independent external experts (with proven experience in conducting sensitive and complex sexual assault investigations) rather than conflicted members of staff from the same university or college.

9. Require universities to ensure that their harassment policies provide a clear and easy to follow process for sexual assault complaints to be lodged, while explicitly recognising that, although these matters are taken very seriously, malicious complaints can have a very detrimental effect and thus, complaints knowingly made in bad faith would be regarded as potential misconduct.

10. Re-discuss the handling of alleged cases of sexual violence, bullying and harassment in universities, as a matter of urgency, in Parliament (noting that the previous NCAs motion has not adequately addressed the matter).

Sign the open letter

Signers list

Maureen Blair
Charlotte Law
Richard Hood Hood
Edward Simpson
Lesley Ann Mclarnon
Kathryn Kerrison
Amie Charnley
Bm Smith
Alan Tavener
Kate Harrigan
Amber Clements
Emma Bailey
Adrian Tape
Lesley Quinn
Sherri H
Mrs Edit Babka
Suzanne Caley
Matthew Marcroft
Joseph B.
Cary Outis
Danny Cunningham
Victoria Mills
Carol Steele
Rick Colver
Charon Smith
Jan Casey
Victoria Taylor
Aislinn Corcoran-Anthony
Adam Leslie
Melissa Holston
Mr Ian D Sambrook
Katy Board
Gillian Taylor
Jane Palmer
Julia Susewind
Edward Squire
Paven Nandhra
Andrea Robinson
Deborah Wright
Kevin Jones
Sandralane45@Gmail.Com Lane
Sarah Prifti
Gareth Mckenna
Simon Rowe
Surinder Dale
Joanna Kidner
Hannah Rogers
Sarah Herbert
Gillian Johnston
Michael Ross

End the mishandling of sexual assault allegations in UK universities

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