ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of our research that focusses on tackling sexual violence within UK universities. In 2016, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) released Catalyst funding for 63 projects and initiatives, to address sexual violence on UK campuses. As part of this, we conducted a mixed-method, cross-disciplinary body of research to review existing practices and policies in this area, developing student partnerships and providing a clear evidence base of these issues. This work innovatively triangulated the perceptions of sexual violence on UK campuses by university managers, staff and students, providing much-needed, new insights into sexual violence perceptions, experiences, support-seeking knowledge and reporting preferences. This chapter provides a summary of this research and some of our earlier work. We argue that sexual violence is a pressing, prevalent issue, but within under-resourced and changing Higher Education landscapes, sexual violence will remain a low priority without joined, campus-wide approach, driven by university managers, to embed long-term, cultural change.
