Say it, see it, stop it: how listening to students can tackle sexual violence and harassment in higher education
This report examines how universities can better address sexual violence and harassment through student-centered approaches, based on research by the Policy Institute and the Visual and Embodied Methodologies network at King's College London.
The research highlights the widespread nature of the problem, with three in five students experiencing sexual harassment during university and one in four staff facing harassment annually, with students from marginalised groups – including disabled, transgender, international, and ethnic minority students – facing particularly elevated risks and additional obstacles to reporting.
The study's central recommendation calls for universities to fundamentally redesign their reporting and support processes around the experiences of those most at risk. This involves conducting comprehensive reviews that include student surveys, focus groups, participatory action research, and analysis of existing data to understand which groups are underrepresented in current reporting systems. The goal is creating trauma-informed, intersectional, and student-led frameworks that build trust and ensure effective support. Additional recommendations include standardising definitions across the higher education sector, creating zero-tolerance cultures with clear consequences, implementing mandatory in-person consent education, and establishing external oversight mechanisms.
Principal Investigators
Director of Engagement
Research Associate