170 QUB students have been victims of sexual assault: It’s time for girls to speak out

Most girls (and some guys too) have been there before: You’ve indulged in a drink too many at the club, your dance moves are becoming gradually more outrageous, and that creep from pre-drinks keeps copping a cheeky feel of your bum on the dance-floor and is trying to get you back home, alone.

Or maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe it was a sibling, a friend, a flatmate. The point is that this kind of behaviour has become status quo, to the point where we no longer bat an eyelid at these things; much less do we think of it as sexual assault.

Me & my friends having "indulged in one too many" in Limelight.

Incidents of rape, sexual assault and harassment are growing as problems for uni students at an alarming rate. In light of the Me Too movement, it has become clear how widespread sexual violence is and the problem is just as rampant in our university campuses as it is in Hollywood.

A recent study conducted by the Student Consent Research Collaboration (SCORE) found that almost 170 students claimed to be victims of sexual assault and a further 246 were victims of attempted sexual assault in Queen’s University Belfast alone.

Queen's University Belfast

Another study by Revolt Sexual Assault and The Student Room surveyed 4,500 students from 153 different UK institutions; revealing that as many as 62 per cent of students and graduates would consider themselves as victims of sexual violence such as groping, coercion, harassment, and sexual assault.

A further six per cent of female students said that they had been raped while at university. 25 per cent admitted to skipping lectures or even dropping modules in order to avoid their attackers. A further 16 per cent suspended or dropped their studies completely.

However, many cases go unreported and brushed under the carpet: 56 per cent of students did not feel their sexual assault was serious enough to report.

Nexus (located on 119 University Street) offers counselling services to those who have been affected by rape, sexual assault and violence.

As unfortunate as it is and as much as it shouldn’t happen, it does. Most of us know someone, or maybe we are someone, who has been a victim of sexual violence. The question is: How do we respond to these situations? Do we just sweep it under the rug and leave it as “just one of those things”?

If you have been a victim of sexual violence in any shape or form, you should know that your feelings and concerns are valid. It's not your fault and you shouldn’t be the one feeling embarrassed.

As hard as it may be, reach out to someone; whether it be your parents, a student counsellor, or whoever you feel comfortable talking to. Don’t suffer in silence. If you know someone who has been a victim then encourage them to speak out: Let them know they’re not alone.

Sexual violence should not be a matter only discussed behind closed doors. Leaving it as such, we lend power to those who perpetrate it. When we talk openly about it, we finally break down the barriers surrounding the issue.

Disclaimer: None of the women pictured in this article have been victims of sexual assault.