Leeds Trinity University is made up of people who care. We know that if people aren’t feeling their best then they aren’t going to be able to do their best. We want everyone to fulfil their innate potential and the Student Support team, alongside our Student Mental Health and Wellbeing professionals, support our students in whatever way possible. University life can be joyful and full of opportunities; however, it can also be a challenging time for some for various reasons such as establishing a new routine, making new friends, managing studies and work, and being away from home, perhaps for the first time.

To help students through difficult times, it’s crucial to provide a safe space, people and platforms to discuss important issues. As it’s Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, this blog focuses on how as a University we aim to support students who have become a victim of such offences.

We are running a campaign to reinforce that we do not blame victims. Around campus you will see screens with information about the misconceptions and language linked to sexual assault. Myths such as ‘men don’t get raped’, or ‘I was drunk – it was my fault’. The only person who causes rape is the rapist and anyone can be a victim.

In the UK, one in four women have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult, one in six children have been sexually abused, and one in 20 men have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult.[1] These are only reported crimes, the tip of a destructive and damaging iceberg. It can be a difficult topic to talk about, but sexual abuse and sexual violence can affect students and staff. We are doing things to help:

• Awareness campaigns and myth busting on campus
• Teaming up with the Hazelhurst Sexual Assault Referral Centre to run mandatory consent talks during Freshers’ Week
• We have a dedicated Sexual Misconduct Policy, separate from the Student Code of Conduct, developed to reflect the need for a specialist response with incidents of this nature
• Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL) provided specialist training to staff in our Student Support and Student Mental Health and Wellbeing teams on how to respond to disclosures of sexual abuse and sexual violence
• Student Support Duty Managers are available on campus every day until 5.00am (9.00am – 5am Monday to Friday and 12.00pm – 5.00am Saturday to Sunday to respond to incidents and support students.

We know that talking about sexual abuse and sexual violence won’t make it go away but having difficult conversations, and opening doors to these conversations, can be helpful for everyone. The more we talk, the more we understand and the more we can all help and support each other. We stand with victims, and we are here to help.

Kim Burmiston is a Student Support Duty Manager at Leeds Trinity University.

[1] Statistics about sexual violence and abuse | Rape Crisis England & Wales