Every year, thousands of young adults flood into the lecture halls and classrooms of third level institutions. With this comes new opportunities, new friends, and newfound feelings of freedom and independence.
However, there is a darker side to student life that often gets swept under the rug. Sexual assault and sexual harassment are issues that everyone has heard of, or at least knows someone that has experienced it. Although this is a rampant problem in Ireland, with 40% of people experiencing sexual violence at some stage in their lives, according to an Oireachtas debate in May 2023, it is often brushed away and not regarded as an important topic of discussion.
Since the #MeToo movement in 2017, following allegations of sexual assault and harassment by producer and director Harvey Weinstein by the New York Times and the New Yorker, the issue of sexual violence has been thrust onto the worldwide stage. The hashtag was used over 19 million times on Twitter (now X) in its first year, averaging 55,000 tweets a day.
In a survey carried out regarding sexual violence in Galway, 63 of 100 respondents admitted to experiencing sexual assault or harassment once or more than once in their lifetime. The survey included four positions: undergraduate student; postgraduate student; staff; and don’t attend University of Galway.
57 of 84 (67.8%) female respondents have experienced sexual violence, along with six of 14 (42.8%) male respondents, and one of two (50%) non-binary respondents. Of the 64 people who said they’d been sexually harassed or assaulted, 20 (31.3%) knew the perpetrator. 43 (67.2%) did not know who committed the assault/harassment, and one person was not sure.
In regard to the locations of where these incidents took place, 40 (63.5%) people responded ‘at a bar or nightclub’; 30 (47.6%) people responded ‘whilst outdoors’; 24 (38%) people responded ‘at a house or apartment’; 16 (25.4%) people responded ‘on public transport’; ten (15.9%) people responded ‘on campus’; and three (4.8%) people said the assault or harassment took place someplace else. These locations included: in a taxi and at school.
Speaking to SIN, Izzy Tiernan, University of Galway Students’ Union Vice President for Welfare and Equality, said that they are “not surprised” that ten percent of sexual assaults happened on campus, and went on to say: “it’s upsetting and it’s disgraceful that that figure did occur within the confines of a place that students should be able to feel safe.
“This should be a place of education of learning and nurturing, and not somewhere that someone is scared to come into.” they added.
Many of the responses mirrored this. When asked in the survey taken: “what more can be done to inform people about sexual assault and harassment on campus and in Galway?” there were a range of responses from more education on the issue of positive intimate experiences and mandatory workshops on consent and the procedure of reporting a sex crime.
Sexual violence, one could say, is an ongoing silent epidemic that has affected students for decades – in no way is it a new phenomenon. It can take a toll on a person in many different ways, from the physical and mental trauma of being unable to report experiences due to the fear of not being believed, to the internalised stigma of self-blame and shame experienced by victims.
The average number of incidents reported in Ireland is at less than 10% as of 2021 stated by the Seanad Eireann Debate on the Report on Victim’s Testimony in Cases of rape and sexual assault. This statistic rings true and can be seen within the survey where only 6% responded that they reported their experiences to the Gardi.
For many within the survey, the lack of consequence for offenders is the most frustrating of all. There has not only been a failure by society with the blame placed on these victims but the overall system and lack of acknowledgement from authorities and government to take these matters of sexual violence more serious.
However, there are many supports for students who find themselves affected by sexual violence. There is the Chaplaincy Team, the Counselling Service, the Students’ Union, Student Services, the Student Safety Watch, and Campus Security.
The SafeZone App is a new app that works on campus. There are three buttons on the main screen, ‘Emergency’, ‘First Aid’, and ‘Non-Urgent’. The ‘Emergency’ button contacts security and emergency services; the ‘First Aid’ button is useful for finding people who are qualified in giving First Aid close to you, and the ‘Non-Urgent’ button is for logging complaints. The app uses the user’s location so that security or emergency services can pinpoint their exact location.
There is also the option to ‘start a check-in’. This means the user sets a timer, for example, for 15 minutes to walk to their accommodation or to their car. If they do not ‘check out’ within the set time, it sends an alert to security, who then place a phone call to check in with the user.
The app also has a detection device, which can detect if the user has collapsed or fallen. Users can also log instant anonymous complaints on the app, such as unusual activity they may witness. Unfortunately, the app only works on-campus.
Regarding supports off-campus, there is the Galway Rape Crisis Centre, based on Forster Street. GRCC have a 24-hour helpline, and their number is 1800 355 355. The Sexual Assault Treatment Centre, based on the Tuam Road, carries out forensic exam and STI testing on people that have been sexually assaulted or raped.