A film about rape on campus is being shown at UK universities
It aims to educate students on sexual assault
A shocking film about rape on campus is set to tour the UK.
The Hunting Ground looks at how US unis are dealing with reports of sexual assaults, exposing the trend of the colleges to “cover such crimes up” because they are protecting their brand.
Swathes of UK universities have introduced consent workshops, sexual violence training and quizzes to educate new students on sexual assault and rape.
The film highlights the tendency for institutions to focus on raising awareness about sexual assault rather than it’s prevention, with one woman in the trailer describing how she was told that she “shouldn’t go out in short skirts”.
It follows a rise in attempts to change the way rape and sexual assault cases are dealt with.
A protest shown in the film
Cambridge university recently revamped their policy on sexual assault and freshers joining the University of Bristol this year were made to take a compulsory online quiz about sexual consent.
Although the number of sexual assaults are slightly higher in the US, it is still a massive problem here in the UK. A recent NUS study found one in seven British female students “experience serious physical or sexual assault during their time as a student”.
Image taken from ‘The Hunting Ground’ trailer
The message of the film is clear: sexual assault around universities is a huge issue and the way institutions deal with it needs to focus on prevention.
A recent survey commissioned by the Association of American Universities found that one in four female students in the US experience sexual assault on university campus.
Screening around the UK starts from October 19th and more details can be found on the film’s website.
You can watch the trailer here.