Durhamâs independent student newspaper
Palatinate www.palatinate.org.uk
âIt Happens Hereâ
No. 756
Thursday 21st November 2013 | FREE
An investigation into the number of sexual assaults in Durham has revealed that these types of crimes remain under-reported Natasha Tierney New figures obtained by Palatinate from Durham Police have raised questions over the number of sexual assault crimes going unreported among students in Durham. Obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the data shows the number of rape and other sexual assault crimes reported in Durham City per year between 2008 and 2012, as well as a monthly breakdown of figures for the year 2012. During the course of these five years, Durham Constabulary have dealt with between seven and ten reported cases of rape or sexual assault per year in Durham City. In 2012, there were a total of ten sexual assault crimes reported, between zero and three per month over the course of the year. Although the police were unable to confirm whether any of the cases involved students, several members of the University community have voiced concerns that the actual number of rape or sexual assault crimes among students is likely to be significantly higher than these figures suggest, regardless of Durhamâs safe reputation. Hidden Marks, an NUS survey from 2010, estimates that as many as one in seven female university students in the UK has been a victim of sexual assault at some point during their time studying. Despite this, the survey also estimates that only ten per cent of these cases are reported to the police. This term, a campaign has been set up called âIt Happens Hereâ,
which aims to raise awareness among Durham students about the issue of sexual violence both at the University and on a wider scale, in the hope that fewer sexual assault crimes will go unreported. A Tumblr set up by the âIt Happens Hereâ team in Durham has already received nine anonymous submissions since October, in which victims recount being sexually assaulted, several of them while at Durham. Although a few of the stories do mention police involvement, others also suggest â some stating explicitly â that the crimes mentioned were never reported.
10%
Percentage of students who report sexual assault to the police
Commenting on the Hidden Marks survey, Fiona, a Durham graduate and representative for âIt Happens Here,â told Palatinate: âThereâs always a danger that these surveys are under-reports, based on women not feeling able to identify their assaults (if they knew the perpetrator so donât feel able to call it rape, etc.), or not wanting to disclose. âBut I donât see any danger that itâs an over-report. Personally, I probably know a greater proportion of women than that whoâve experienced assault during their time at university.â In response to the apparent disparity between the results of this NUS survey and the data released
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by Durham Police, Fiona told Palatinate that the figures are simply âthe tip of the icebergâ in terms of the number of sexual assault crimes which are likely to actually be taking place in Durham City. As a volunteer for Rape Crisis, she was unable to disclose details of her knowledge of unreported sexual assault crimes at Durham University. However, she did stress that âit happens,â adding: âIn terms of âIt Happens Here,â our most important aim is awareness raising, so dispelling this myth that living in a âsafe cityâ among a relatively privileged student population means that rape and sexual assault donât happen. âWeâre also hoping that we can help survivors of sexual assault share their stories, as this is often a powerful way in which we can identify our experiences of violence. âThere are a lot of myths around rape and sexual assault, as Iâm sure you know, and itâs often very difficult to see an assault as ârealâ unless it matches the narratives reinforced in the media and in society of rape by a stranger involving additional physical violence etc. âWe believe that dispelling these myths and making sure students are aware of all forms of sexual violence enables more survivors to access support.â Many students have also commented on the sometimes ambiguous nature of defining a sexual assault crime within the close knit social circles of the University environment.
Continued on page 3
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