Monday 23-09-2019 - 17:16

 

#NeverOK was a particularly important campaign for me, for a number of reasons. An increase in media interest around sexual assault, reporting mechanisms and poor handling of student cases on UK campuses, the launch and outcry of the #MeToo movement and the steady normalisation of toxic culture in society all led to this campaign simply having to happen. But mainly, it was because people held the same belief as I initially did. I realised that our campuses frequently had the air of safety, and with students holding the belief that ‘it doesn’t happen here in rural Wales.’

Well, it does.

And that is not good enough.

#NeverOK aims to foster a culture of respect and understanding between students, and promote the message that reporting harassment is okay, and absolutely encouraged. The campaign is there to both raise awareness of the different ways that a student can report a form of harassment or abuse that they have suffered, as well as communicate the behaviour that the University and Students’ Union tolerates.

There is a constant fear around reporting harassment or assault - ‘What if the attacker finds out I’ve reported it – will they hurt me again?’ ‘What if nobody believes me?’ ‘I don’t want to get kicked out of uni because of this.’ ‘What will my parents say?’ ‘Was it an attack, or just banter?’

These are all questions that we as an SU have been asked by students that are victims when they have come to us for support, and they are all questions that no victim should be asking of themselves or anyone else. This campaign aims to highlight and promote good attitudes, and make those that are victims of assault, harassment or abuse feel able to come forward and report it, and know that someone is listening.

Throughout the campaign there will be a range of ways for everyone to engage – whether this be through familiarising yourself with the ‘Advice’ section of the TSDSU website, attending Upstander training (which, for the first time ever, will also be delivered on a smaller scale to every student we give Students’ Union inductions to), supporting and fundraising a charity tackling this issue, or even just collecting an advice card from us at Pop-Up Unions and Welcome Fairs, which contains the details of helplines and advice centres local to your campus.

As a part of this, we are also repromoting the Harassment Report Form. This form is seen solely by the Chief Executive of the Students’ Union and is completely confidential, but allows us to be informed of what’s happening both on and off-campus. It can be anonymous or named depending on your own preference, and you decide what happens with the information and content of the form. We really encourage anyone who feels they have something to report to do so using the form, and help to break the stigma of speaking out about harassment and assault.

This will be a yearlong campaign, with particular support and advice given to around International Men’s Day, 16 Days of Activism and LGBT+ History Month to name but a few.

If you’d like any more information, want more specific Upstander training or want to speak to us in confidence, please contact either your Group President becky.ricketts@uwtsd.ac.uk or our all-query email, yoursu@uwtsd.ac.uk.