One in three female students and non-binary students have experienced someone trying to have sex with them without their consent, according to a new report from the Department of Higher Education.
According to the Report on the National Survey of Student Experiences of Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education, one in five students said they had had someone try to engage in non-consensual vaginal, oral or anal sex with them.
Three in 10 female students and three in 10 non-binary students responded affirmatively to the phrase “someone tried to have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with me without my consent”. Nine per cent of male participants responded affirmatively.
A total of 7,901 students completed the online survey. Some 84 per cent were undergraduate students.
Female and non-binary students were three times more likely to experience sexual coercion, such as being bribed to engage in sexual behaviour or implications that they would be better treated if they were sexually co-operative.
Some 42 per cent of respondents said they had received unsolicited sexual comments or pictures via social media or other electronic communication. Nearly a quarter said that they had been the subject of unwelcome sexual rumours spread online.
One in five respondents said that they were often victims of sexual hostility – sexual jokes which were unwelcome or offensive, offensive remarks about their appearance or body or attempts to draw them into a discussion of sexual matters such as their own sex life.
Again, there was a gender difference in responses to this part of the survey: 60 per cent of female and gender non-binary students said they had experienced this form of harassment.
Three out of four students do not know where to go to get help on campus if they have experienced sexual violence or harassment.
More than four in ten respondents said that the alleged offender or their friends would attempt to “get back at someone” who made a report.
Respondents were presented with several “rape myth statements”, such as “she asked for it” – the idea that a woman who is raped bears some responsibility. One in five male respondents agreed with this particular statement.
A large majority of respondents said that they would likely confront a friend who planned to give someone alcohol to get sex, to challenge a friend who shared private pictures of their partner, to check in with a friend who looks drunk when they go to a room with someone else at a party, that they would say something to a friend who takes a drunk person back to their room at a party, that they would object to a “rape joke” or confront a friend it there were rumours that they had raped someone.
There was a gender difference of over 20 per cent in responses to these “bystander intervention” statements: males were less likely to intervene to object to a “rape joke” and to check in with a friend who looks drunk when they go into a room with someone at a party.
In a press statement following the report’s publication, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said: “I really want to thank students and staff across the country who took the time to engage with this survey and share their experiences with us … we needed a robust evidence base and this survey gives us vital information to inform further actions.”
Harris said that the report includes “some deeply troubling findings, such as the levels of sexual harassment experienced by staff and students that responded to the survey and particularly the female students that reported that they had experienced sexual violence”.
“This is a society wide issue and must be urgently tackled. In 2021, I asked all of the HEIs to publish action plans to tackle sexual violence and harassment, aligned with the Framework for Consent, and good progress is being made in implementing these across the sector, but there is much more to do.”
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One today, Harris said Ireland is dealing with a “massive crisis” when it comes to the culture and attitude around sexual violence.
He called for mandatory consent classes in colleges, adding that men need to speak out and be part of the conversation around consent.
“It requires conversations around how we raise our children – not just wanting to keep our daughters safe, but how we raise our sons as well”, he said.
“I’m hoping [the survey] sparks conversations around the dinner tables and sitting rooms in Ireland tonight about how we are going to get so serious about actually changing the culture.”
Dr Pádraig MacNeela from NUI Galway, who led the analysis and reporting on the surveys, added in a press statement: “Taken together, the findings described a varied picture of strengths and resources, negative experiences and gaps in knowledge.”
“For example, a majority of people trusted that their college will support them, and a large majority endorsed positive behaviour and active consent. Yet alongside these strengths there were gaps in knowledge about how to make complaints or access supports through their institution. We also identified a high level of sexual violence and harassment experienced by students in particular”, MacNeela said.
“By taking part in these surveys, students and staff across the country have highlighted for us the priorities that should be addressed to create a positive culture of respect, safety, and consent.”
If you have been affected by, or would like to discuss, the issues raised in this article, you can contact the Welfare Officer of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union by emailing [email protected]. Emergency appointments with the Student Counselling Service are also available. You can phone Niteline, the student listening service, every night of term from 9pm–2:30am on 1800 793 793, or the Samaritans at any time on 116 123. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre can be reached at 1800 778 888.
