THE number of reports of sexual assault made to Oxford Brookes University over the past five years has been described as ‘very concerning’ with politicians and activists insisting that the true figure is higher.
In the academic years 2017-2021, the Headington university received more than 63 reports of sexual assaults. In addition, there has been at least one allegation of rape reported each academic year over the same period.
Read again: 'Sex assaults at Oxford University are going unreported'
None of the reported incidents involved a staff member as an offender.
The university is now being encouraged to do more to address the issue of sexual violence.
Labour MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, said: “These figures are very concerning, and we know that sexual offences are often underreported."
But she added: “I know there is work going on at the university, trying to improve the situation to make sure students are safe. There has been a lot of change recently.
“More work needs to be done at a national level to make it very clear where accountability lies.”
The MP, who is the Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said the university needed to address the culture that led to "very unpleasant behaviour".
The academic year of 2017-2018 saw 23 allegations of sexual assault reported to the university – the highest figure in the past five years.
In contrast, the academic year of 2019-2020 saw only nine allegations reported – the lowest figure.
Activists, however, point out that more than four months of 2020 were spent in national lockdown, which would have seen many students returning to their hometowns.
Oxford City Councillor and Violence Against Women and Girls campaigner, Shaista Aziz, said the data was ‘shameful’ and ‘damning’.
She said: “This data is extremely horrifying. The data from the academic years of 2017 to 2021 show that there has consistently been similar numbers of individuals coming forward reporting incidences of rape – this means there’s a consistent problem.
“We also know that these are underreported figures. We know rape is underreported across the country so it will be underreported at universities.”
Oxford Brookes Student Union said it has been working with the university to "promote a culture of safety and inclusivity on campus".
The union president, Tannah Collier, said: “In November the union was proud to support students to hold a vigil for survivors of sexual violence and harassment and to launch our Brookes Together campaign.
“We all recognise that there is much more that could be done across Higher Education, and beyond, to prevent sexual assault from occurring. As part of our Brookes Together campaign, we worked with students to draw up a clear action plan which you can find on the union’s website.
“We will be working with the university to deliver this and implement recommendations. It’s important that students feel comfortable and supported when disclosing incidents of sexual violence or harassment, and as part of our campaign we are working hard to improve processes within the university for responding to these cases.”
Oxford Brookes said "sexual violence has no place" at the university.
A spokesperson said: “When incidents are brought to our attention, we do all that we can to ensure that the allegations are investigated thoroughly and support is provided to the students involved.
“The university ensures that appropriate liaison with the police takes place and access is provided to specialist support services, where required.
“A huge amount of work is already in progress, and at the beginning of the current academic year, the university introduced a new, online sexual consent education course for students.”
The university said it was also reviewing behaviour and practices at its sports clubs, to ensure they "promote the culture, behaviours and values" expected.
A police spokesperson said: “Thames Valley Police take all reports of sex offences extremely seriously and we remain committed to preventing and detecting offences of this nature.
“We would always encourage victims to come forward, where they will receive specialist support and will be treated with sensitivity and compassion.
“Any reported offence will be thoroughly investigated and we work closely with our partners to ensure anyone who may have been a victim of sexual assault feels able and willing to report this to us.”
The force chairs a regular partnership meeting, of which Oxford Brookes is a key partner, to monitor reports of sexual violence.
The university also works closely with Project Vigilant – a perpetrator-focussed initiative to identify predatory behaviour, which was launched in Oxford in 2019.
Last month, an Oxford Mail investigation revealed the number of sexual misconduct reports made to the city’s other university – the University of Oxford.
In the academic years from 2017 to 2021, the university’s central administration team received 26 sexual misconduct reports. Of those, five allegations were made against staff members.
However, some said the figure was said to be ‘gross underestimate’ of the ‘actual’ number of incidences, due to the collegiate system which confused reporting.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok
Got a story for us? Send us your news and pictures here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel