Revolt Sexual Assault was set up by a recent graduate, Hannah Price, as a national campaign to reveal the nature and extent of sexual violence occurring across UK university campuses. After experiencing it first hand, she realised many students needed a safe way to comfortably talk about what had happened to them.
Revolt Sexual Assault uses Snapchat to combat these barriers and feelings of isolation. Snapchat is a familiar and widely used social media channel for students, and the app’s voice changing features and face filters allow people to share their stories in a safe and anonymous fashion.
THE ROLE TSR IS PLAYING
Hannah looked to The Student Room to help tackle the issue on a larger scale and empower the student voice. The result is a national survey we are producing in partnership with Revolt Sexual Assault, which will be the first of its kind in over a decade. In three weeks, the survey has received over 4,000 responses and we hope the evidence collated will shed light on the reality of sexual violence.
The aim is not only to increase awareness for these incredibly important issues, but also to highlight the necessity of relevant support services at university, and to campaign for a uniform nationwide policy response.
Many institutions are under-equipped to deal with sexual violence, having no trained staff or specific policy. Incidents might be dealt in the same way they treat someone cheating on an exam.
EMPOWERING STUDENT VOICES
But the survey isn’t just about generating statistics. Most importantly, the survey is intended to provide a platform for the voices of those who have experienced sexual violence first hand. It is essential universities not only change how they deal with this issue, but also how victims feel they are being heard and represented.
TSR’s key values are centered around flying the flag for students. We believe it’s vital to talk and address serious issues and have a safe place to do so. By giving students a platform and opportunity to speak for themselves, we hope this campaign will help those who have previously felt ignored feel like they’ve been given their voice back.
Although these issues are ongoing, we intend to draw attention to these issues and share further insights to inform university communications and support services related to improved student care.