Here's How Universities Have Been Told To Deal With Sexual Assault And Harassment

    These new rules will set out how exactly universities will have to ensure students can safely report sexual assault and harassment.

    Australian universities have been told to provide a safe and compassionate environment for students reporting sexual assault and harassment as part of a new set of guidelines released on Friday.

    The set of 12 guidelines acknowledge that anyone at university could be a "first responder" to reports of sexual harassment or assault, and staff need to be equipped with the skills to respond respectfully and meaningfully to any such reports.

    The guidelines were developed in response to a damning report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission last year that found 26% of students were sexually harassed in a university setting in 2016, while 1.6% reported being sexually assaulted in a university setting in 2015 or 2016.

    The guidelines were put together with the help of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia, student groups, legal experts, and university student services staff.

    Students surveyed as part of the report told the commission they had been filmed in the shower, reported men at college parties taking drunk younger girls home to "take advantage" of them, and reported girls living in dorms being sexually assaulted in their bedrooms.

    The guidelines include a requirement for universities to "engage with colleges and residential halls" to ensure a consistency in the responses to reports and investigations of those reports.

    Universities have also been told to consider developing a standalone policy for addressing sexual assault and harassment, training staff to respond to disclosures, and consider creating a single point of contact for students to report to.

    The universities have also been told to minimise the number of times that a student would need to recount their assault or harassment, and to streamline methods for students to get academic special consideration after reporting assault or harassment.

    "We want every student to be supported through their trauma and recovery — and know that their safety and wellbeing will be at the centre of their university’s response," Universities Australia CEO Catriona Jackson said in a statement.

    "Every student should feel — and be — safe, both on campus and in the wider community."

    If you or someone you know needs help or support, you can call the hotline set up by Universities Australia on 1800 572 224. You can also call the national sexual assault, domestic, and family violence hotline on 1800 RESPECT or 1800 737 732.