Exclusive: Sex? On Campus! on challenging Edinburgh’s response to sexual violence

Protestors campaigning for an end to sexual assault at the University of Edinburgh gathered in Bristo Square on Thursday morning, braving bitterly cold temperatures to call for change.

Over 40 students joined members of Sex? On Campus!, Girl*Up, and the University of Edinburgh Feminist Society, holding placards with slogans such as “Edi uni protects rapists” and “We need survivor support.”

Speakers discussed their experiences of bringing sexual assault cases before the university administration and encouraged others to voice their own opinions through chants and writing on a protest banner.

The demonstration coincided with a list of demands collaboratively released on Feminist Society, Girl*Up, and SOC’s Instagram pages on Wednesday.

Directed at the university administration, demands included creating a dedicated process to deal with cases of sexual violence instead of defaulting to the general code of conduct, a ban on staff-student relationships, and improved funding for groups supporting survivors.

Hoping to gain greater insight into the problem of sexual assault on campus, I sat down with SOC member Kristy Galbraith to discuss how the organisation is working to improve the status quo.

Why Sex? On Campus!

We asked Kristy if there was a specific motivation behind the protest on Thursday. She told us that the gathering was an annual project, with each year’s event focusing on a different part of the sexual assault problem.

Last year’s theme was “Am I next?” She explained that it was about “how the fear of sexual assault is part of the fabric of life in Edinburgh in a way that it shouldn’t be. You’re so scared by hearing stories from everyone that you know, thinking that you’ll be next, your friend will be next.”

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Contemplating the minimal existing support for survivors at the university, she asked: “What happens to us? We leave and we’re just another statistic. Just someone else that was sexually assaulted at the University of Edinburgh, with nothing to show for it. I don’t accept that.”

Sex? On Campus! was formed by two students, Kate Wilson and Kirsten Hay, who similarly refused to accept the university’s lack of survivor support after reporting cases that were returned with decisions of non-action.

A Changing Narrative?

2025 has ushered in a new era of progress for SOC, with the university beginning to implement new consent programmes across campus and establishing a “Tackling Gender-Based Violence” working group with SOC, Girl*Up, and Feminist Society.

Sipping her matcha latte, Kristy told us: “So much has changed since last year. We’ve finally been able to have meetings with the university administration, and we’ve started putting things in place that will change the situation.”

These meetings differ from those in the past, which Kristy describes as colder and more interrogatory: “For the first time, the conversation isn’t like, ‘What if you weren’t really sexually assaulted?’ or ‘What if it was this?’ ‘What if it was that?’ The conversation is, ‘We know that you were sexually assaulted. What should we do about it?'”

Yet despite the establishment of “trusting relationships” with members of the administration, Kristy still laments the bureaucracy that hinders otherwise “helpful” staff from aiding survivors.

“I think part of the problem is that even if they wanted to change something or make a certain move to help us, they’re also kind of barred in by the system that they work in,” she said.

She also notes the slow speed at which change has occurred, citing her mother’s experience at the University of Edinburgh 30 years ago: “She finds it a bit disquieting how little has changed since she was here. It’s another generation of women in the exact same situation.”

Finding Community and Fighting for Justice

Considering the seriousness of the issue against which Kristy is fighting, one might imagine her to be similarly earnest. Yet she is cheerfully defiant, discussing the community SOC has built through resistance.

She told The Tab: “We were brought together because of something awful that happened to the majority of us, but that doesn’t mean we have to go through every second of our lives turning it over in our heads, looking at it from different angles. We deserve to be joyful.”

The society has built a support network for survivors and organises welfare events like Doodle’s Café outings. Most notably, it launched its new survivors’ fund—the Heart Fund—on Saturday with a party at Mash House.

Kristy elaborated on the fund, stating: “Survivors and victims of gender-based violence will be able to apply for up to 50 pounds, and that money will help them pay for counselling or for a rape kit to be done, or, for some people, it might be something as simple as a takeaway if they’re struggling to cook. That’s a huge milestone for all of us because that’s what we would have needed once upon a time.”

Ending our discussion, Kristy brought up her sister, who also attends the University of Edinburgh: “I think a huge part of why I do it is just for her. To make sure that she is as safe as she can possibly be.”

The University of Edinburgh responded to the comments made at the protest and interview with the following statement:

“While we don’t comment on individual cases, the safety of our students is our absolute priority, and we do not tolerate any forms of violence within our community.

“Any reports made to us are taken very seriously, and we have updated and improved our procedures in response to student feedback, ensuring that reports made to us are investigated robustly and fairly for all parties and that students are supported throughout this process.

“We continue to listen to our student body on their concerns, and we are committed to identifying ways to improve the Edinburgh experience for all.”