Aromachildhood

The true figures are likely significantly higher as this excludes offences which have allegedly taken place in private university accommodation.

Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of women's rights charity the Fawcett Society, said: "We are living through a sexual violence pandemic.

"The reported number of sexual assaults and rapes found to have taken place on university premises is horrifying. Yet it's safe to assume these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.

"It should go without saying that women and girls must expect to be safe wherever they are but there is an awful lot more to be done before expectation meets reality."

Essex Police recorded 42 reports of sexual assaults between 1 January 2019 and 27 December 2022. There were four charges.

The force recorded 29 reports of rapes in the same period, with zero charges.

Lancashire's force reported 41 sexual offences at universities and colleges with one report of a charge.

There were 43 reports of rape on university premises, with two people charged.

Ms Olchawski said: "I'd like to make a call to this government on behalf of women everywhere - the tidal wave of sexual violence must be stopped.

"We must tackle harmful stereotypes that begin in childhood and perpetuate male violence.

"We need cultures in schools, universities and colleges which take sexual assault seriously, supporting survivors to report and taking meaningful action against perpetrators. And we need a criminal justice system that stands alongside women."

Devon and Cornwall Police reported 23 allegations of sexual assault on university premises with one charge and one case under investigation.

There were 20 reports of rapes, eight of which are under investigation.

A spokeswoman for Universities UK, said: "Each incident of sexual violence on campus is one too many.

"As part of their duty of care to students, universities take all reports of harassment, violence or abuse very seriously and are committed to becoming safer places to live, work and study.

"The results from this investigation highlight that more needs to be done to end sexual harassment in all spaces including universities."

'I am trying to channel my pain into activism'

Rape survivor Ellie Wilson has told how she attempted to take her own life as a result of the abuse experienced by her ex boyfriend at university.

The athletics champion, 25, was attacked by Daniel McFarlane between December 2017 and February 2018.

The politics graduate secretly recorded McFarlane admitting to raping her - with the crucial evidence leading to his conviction and a five-year jail term.

Wilson, who has waived her right to anonymity, was raped at Glasgow University.

She said: "I did attempt to take my own life in 2019 because of the abuse and had to take a year out from uni and re-do my final year because of that. I suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. It's just obviously changed my life.

"For me, personally, I'm obviously trying to channel my pain into activism and making change but of course it affects my life every single day."

Ellie Wilson attempted to take her own life as a result of the abuse experienced by her ex boyfriend at university© Ellie Wilson

Wilson highlighted that while Glasgow University suspended McFarlane, he had been able to transfer to the University of Edinburgh despite being under police investigation.

The survivor also accused universities in the UK of "allowing sex offenders on campus" after failing to collect information on applicants' criminal convictions.

She said: "There's a huge problem with sexual violence on campus and it seems ridiculous to me that universities would essentially allow sex offenders on campus considering the problems. It's a scandal to be perfectly honest.

"There seems to be a real issue around the admission of offenders. They're not taking preventative measures to keep their campuses safe."

Wilson wants UCAS and universities to change their policies in a bid to ensure campuses and accommodations are safer.

She added: "Safeguarding is really important. Why would you take risks with people's lives? And it's funny that when it's the lives of primary young women on university campuses, they seem to be expendable."

The University of Edinburgh said: "The safety of our students and staff is our top priority and we are always working to ensure the University is a safe place to study and work.

"We do not tolerate sexual violence within our community and we investigate all reports made to us thoroughly.

UCAS chief executive Clare Marchant said: "UCAS made changes to the collection of information about criminal convictions for the 2019 entry cycle following the introduction of GDPR, as advised by the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). These changes do not prevent universities and colleges from asking applicants to share any criminal convictions.

"We have provided good practice to support universities and colleges in determining their own policy, taking into consideration the specific course, module composition, location and teaching practices.

"Applicants are still required to declare any criminal convictions, including spent convictions, when applying for certain courses - for example, medicine, nursing, teaching or social work."

We are living through a sexual violence pandemic.

The Government's Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that in the year ending March 2020 618,000 women experienced sexual assault.

The same survey also showed that fewer than 16% of female victims of sexual assault by rape or penetration reported it to the police.

The reported number of sexual assaults and rapes found to have taken place on university premises is horrifying.

Yet it's safe to assume these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. It should go without saying that women and girls must expect to be safe wherever they are but there is an awful lot more to be done before expectation meets reality.

Like so many big issues the evidence tells us that early intervention is a key part of the story when it comes to protecting women and girls from sexual assault and violence.

We ran a ground-breaking project looking at the harms caused by gender stereotypes in early years.

The Fawcett Society report highlighted significant research showing that challenging gender-stereotyped behaviour in early childhood can reduce violence against women and girls.

There is also evidence aplenty that stamping out misogyny and treating it like the hate crime that it is would improve the lives of women and girls across the country.

Making misogyny a hate crime would go a long way in addressing the normalisation of gender-based violence in our society and enable the police to build a picture of how it is impacting women's lives every single day.

This is why Fawcett, along with many other organisations in the sector, was so disappointed when this government disagreed with the House of Lords amendment to make misogyny a hate crime.

We need this government to genuinely follow through on the commitments it made in the wake of #MeToo and the appalling murder of Sarah Everard. We need to see women and girls better protected at all stages of their lives - whether this is at school, college, university, or work.

I'd like to make a call to this government on behalf of women everywhere - the tidal wave of sexual violence must be stopped.

We must tackle harmful stereotypes that begin in childhood and perpetuate male violence. We need cultures in schools, universities and colleges which take sexual assault seriously, supporting survivors to report and taking meaningful action against perpetrators.

And we need a criminal justice system that stands alongside women.

It's clear there is a long way to go before we're close to achieving these goals.

A culture of violence against women and girls is not inevitable; but without meaningful, concerted action from our leaders, more harm to women and girls is.