Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week at UWE

To mark Sexual Violence Awareness Week (5 – 11 February), the Student Communications team, the Anti-Sexual Violence Service and the Students’ Union will be hosting stalls on each campus to engage with students, explore myths and facts around sexual violence and signpost to support.

Find us in The Students’ Union spaces at:

• Bower Ashton campus - Monday 5 February from 12:00 – 14:00
• Frenchay campus - Tuesday 6 February from 12:30 – 14:30
• Glenside campus - Thursday 8 February from 12:00 – 14:00

TW: This article contains discussions of sexual violence and victim-blaming attitudes throughout.

What is Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week?

Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week (SASV Week) is a national campaign that takes place every year, in February. It aims to raise awareness of sexual violence, signpost to specialist support services and to showcase to victims / survivors that we stand with them and support them.  

Why Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week?

Some people may query why an awareness week is necessary, whether the prevalence of sexual violence is high enough to warrant a dedicated event. One only needs to look at the statistics around sexual violence/abuse to realise that they are not one-off incidents, but a pervasive problem in our society.  

The reality is that 1.1 million people over the age of 16, experienced some type of sexual violence or abuse according to the last survey done in Engand and Wales (Office for National Statistics (ONS), March 2022).

People identifying as female are more likely to experience a sexual assault. 1 in 6 men have experienced sexual trauma (1in6.org). People in the age bracket of 16-24 years old and full-time students have a much higher chance of being were victims /survivors of sexual assaults, than those in any other occupations or age brackets. (ONS, March 2022).

9 in 10 girls and young women in the educational setting say that they have experienced sexist name-calling, online sexual harassment and so-called ‘Cyber-Flashing’ (unwanted pictures) (Rape Crisis England and Wales, 2024).

It’s therefore essential to shine a light on an issue that impacts so many people but that is rarely addressed, because it is highly emotive, challenging or taboo to do so.

SASV Week also exists to dispel victim blaming myths. Victim blaming myths often involve inaccurate assumptions or beliefs that attempt to shift the blame from the perpetrator to the victim / survivor. Victim blaming myths exist to “serve to deny, downplay or justify sexual violence” (Wonkhe, 2023).

Examples of victim blaming myths would be :

• “If they were drunk, then they were asking for it”.  
• A person reporting sexual violence is “lying”. They’re making a report because “they regret the sexual encounter”.  

Let’s dispel these myths:

•  The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) states that “a complainant does not consent if they are incapacitated through drink.” and “does not need to be unconscious through drink to lose their capacity to consent”.”
• Research has shown that false allegations of rape are incredibly rare. A CPS report published in 2013 showed that over a 17-month period, there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape and, during the same period, there were 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape. That is 0.6%.

Victim blaming has a massive impact on victims/survivors who have the courage to disclose and seek support. It not only can hinder their healing journey, but it also has a direct impact on reporting to the police as victims/survivors fear not being believed or blamed for the trauma they have experienced.

It’s therefore really important that we challenge these myths – together we can create a safe space for victims/survivors to seek support but also educate future jurors so they can make an informed decision about sexual offences cases, free from victim blaming stereotypes or myths.

Support

The first thing to remember is that if something sexual has been done to you without your consent – it is sexual violence – and it is not your fault. You are not to blame for any sexual harassment or violence you were subjected to. 

Whatever you are feeling right now, it is normal. There is no right or wrong way to feel or respond to this. 

The following services offer support:

• If you are worried or concerned about yourself or another student, please call UWE’s Serious Concerns Line at any time of day or night, including the weekends on +44 (0)117 32 84000. More information here

• Anti Sexual Violence Service at UWE: UWE Bristol's Anti-Sexual Violence Service provides a non-judgemental, inclusive and confidential safe space for you to seek support if you have experienced sexual trauma of any kind, even if you don’t want to report something. For more information and to self-refer, click here

• UWE wellbeing support. More information here

• The Bridge: The Bridge is a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). The Bridge offer medical care, emotional and psychological support and practical help to anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted.

• Safe Link: Support for anyone who has been the victim of rape or sexual abuse. Safe Link provides Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) Support among other services.

• SARSAS: Support, including counselling, for anyone who has been affected by rape and sexual abuse at any time in their life.

• Survivors Pathway: The Survivor Pathway is an online resource for anyone wanting to know more about specialist sexual violence support services in the South West.

If you would like tips on how to support a friend who discloses sexual violence – click here