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ARTWORK: Navita Wijeratne
sash on campus: solutions over justice ANONYMOUS CW: the following piece makes mention of SASH, institutional betrayal and the 2021 NSSS survey. In the last few weeks, the National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) published their findings into sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) incidents on Australian university campuses. The ANU came under particular scrutiny, as it was found to be the university with the highest record of sexual harassment. Another conclusion drawn from the survey found that college residents were more likely to be sexually harassed and assaulted than their off-campus counterparts. This comes as unfortunate news, especially at ANU, which has previously attempted to make a concerted effort into dealing with SASH on campus. As a former resident, this comes as no surprise. I believe the current system is seriously flawed, especially when it comes to education and resources being directed at young men. When it comes to SASH on campus, men are primarily the problem and need to be the solution.
The survey highlighted the fact that the ANU was the worst university in terms of sexual harassment cases. When compared to the national average of 16.1 percent, the ANU had 26.1 percent of students reporting cases of harassment. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the ANU is also the second-worst university in terms of sexual assault, with its cases being almost three times the national average - 4.5 percent to the ANU’s 12.3 percent. The difference between college SASH and off campus SASH is significant. Compared to the national average of 16.1 percent, 24 percent of university college students nationally reported incidences of sexual harassment. To emphasise this point, according to the national survey, “one in three (36.1 percent) students living in student accommodation or residences reported another student from their residence perpetrated their most impactful incident of sexual assault.”
