NUS launches investigation into sexual harassment at universities

Sexual harassment in universities is to be investigated by the National Union of Students which is launching the UK's first ever survey of staff sexual misconduct in higher education.

Students at Greater Manchester's universities will be asked whether they've ever experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct from higher education staff and their experience of reporting such behaviours to their institution.

The research project is being carried out by the NUS's Women's Campaign in partnership with lobby organisation The 1752 Group.

Researchers will also look into professional boundaries, and examine what types of behaviour students are comfortable dealing with from higher education staff.

The NUS said this was particularly important given recent findings than one third of the UK's universities did not have a policy on staff-student relationships.

"As it currently stands, many institutions are ill-equipped to deal with instances of student-staff harassment or indeed, harassment in general,'' NUS women's officer Hareem Ghani said.

"A lack of research in the area, combined with a lack of understanding has meant that many universities do not have basic guidelines on this issue.

"There is a still a long way for us to go, but I am proud that the Women's Campaign and The 1752 Group are taking a lead on this pertinent issue.

"For too long, these problems have been at best sidelined and at worst silenced by institutions.

"We need to talk about the open secrets that plague academia, to challenge cultures of entitlement and stop abuses of power wherever they happen.''

Dr Anna Bull, co-founder of The 1752 Group, said: "Evidence from the US shows that one in six female postgraduate students experience sexual harassment or abuse from university staff, and we have worked on numerous cases in institutions across the UK that show students being failed by their institutions when they try to report sexual misconduct.

"Universities do not currently have adequate procedures in place to protect students and deal with perpetrators, and students find themselves powerless to do anything about staff who abuse their position.''

She added: "At a time when the world is waking up to the ways in which sexual harassment and abuse are endemic across many institutions, it is time for the higher education sector to take this issue seriously.

"We hope that this research will lead the way towards these much-needed changes.''

All students, and any former students who have experienced sexual misconduct from UK university staff, are invited to fill out the survey.