Author: Graham Towl and Tammi Walker
ISBN No: 9780815385288
Review date: 19/04/2024
No of pages: 124
Publisher: Routledge
Publisher URL:
https://www.routledge.com/Tackling-Sexual-Violence-at-Universities-An-International-Perspective/Towl-Walker/p/book/9780815385288
Year of publication: 09/07/2019
Brief:
price
£27.99
As the July 2019 print issue of Professional Security magazine features (page 58, ‘Government shrugs on sexual harassment’), there is topical political interest in sexual violence and harassment, not only on campuses, but on public transport and in pubs and clubs; and online.
The authors, two UK academics, suggest early on that ‘universities are uniquely well placed to contribute to reducing sexual violence, encouraging those affected to come forward and speak about their experiences and actively encourage increased reporting’. Is that so? as students of either gender surely feel more pressure against reporting someone they know, who has done violence against them on campus, compared with a stranger on a bus or on a night out. Besides, as the authors to their credit spell out right away, in a university you have the student-lecturer relationship, and ‘a Higher Education culture sometimes characterised by power abuses, secrecy, spin and denial’.
Among reports and studies from the UK, the authors note a 2018 survey co-produced by the National Union of Students and the campaigners 1752 Group, that found ‘a sizeable minority’ had experienced sexual misconduct from university staff’; one in eight students in the survey reported having been touched by a member of staff in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. Few who reported it felt satisfied by how their uni handled it; as with other sorts of crime, that leads to victims not feeling it worthwhile to report again. The majority of perpetrators; academic men.
The authors point to the more general issue of how ‘sexual violence thrives under a veil of (open) secrecy’, as perpetrators feel confident that the criminal justice system will not affect them. But, the authors say, ‘the genie is out of the bottle’; people are speaking up. The bulk of this slim book are given over to, separately, the problem in the UK, United States, Australia and Canada; and on the Continent. The authors round off with a chapter ‘What do universities in the UK need to do?’. They cover ‘policy, reporting, investigations, staff training, support for victim-survivors and reported parties, and communications’. As that list suggests, things are connected, and begin with ‘a need to acknowledge the existence and extent of the problem’. A uni that declines to, the authors assert, is part of the problem; for it’s happening at every uni.
Understandably, the book is better at spelling out what needs doing, rather than how to make it happen (let alone pay for it and staff it). If the criminal justice system is failing victims, then cases can and should come under university disciplinary procedures. But are those fielding the complaints or allegations (the security staff, or a more modern safeguarding, welfare and well-being department?) trained in taking notes from witnesses, and gathering forensic evidence (including, bear in mind, rape or attempted rape)? As with any crime, not only sexual violence outside the campus, but cyber-fraud for instance, progress is only possible once a place know how much is going on, when and where; but what if so many cases get reported that departments cannot cope – giving all the awareness-raising and well-meaning work a bad name, and the ‘system’ an even worse name?
Durham University, that the book is based on, has ‘a multi-disciplinary team’ to review any reports of sexual violence. The authors acknowledge that UK universities are increasingly appointing specialist, full time staff ‘in recognition of the sheer volume of sexual violence in universities communities’; Durham (pictured), Cambridge and Manchester are named, hardly backwaters.
The stakes are high; late on, the authors note that international students may be at risk, and culturally most unlikely to want to admit to being a victim. Yet stakes are high; universities in the English-speaking world now are popular, yet like businesses they are competing, and need customers coming through the door. While that may suggest unis – besides the ‘civic duty’ that the authors note – have an interest in taking well-being, physical and mental, of their students seriously, cynics might counter that unis might feel under pressure to bury or deny anything that makes the uni look bad, and less marketable; the things that matter to those at the top.
As with fraud and corruption in an organisation, what matters is ‘tone at the top’; leaders taking a stand and making clear what behaviour is proper and not, and seeing that what they say is translated into deeds. It’s telling, then, that the book has so little to quote from university heads, and that ‘there is very little guidance offered to the sector on how to address staff sexual misconduct and there are clear barriers to postgraduates and junior members of staff reporting such behaviour’.
In fairness at the very end, the authors do urge unis to ‘seize the moment’ and ‘provide much needed leadership’. For as they say; this issue is not going away.
