An NUS study into sexual harassment in universities found that three in ten students (28%) had been pressured to establish an unwanted sexual or romantic relationship, and that one in seven respondents (14%) had experienced attempted rape/unwanted sexual intercourse. 

Local Licensing & Spiking 

Over the past three years we’ve been consistently involved with Sheffield City Council and key nighttime economy stakeholders to make sure students' needs are being listened to around anti-spiking measures.  

We also stock free drink & bottle covers as well as drink test kits at the Hubs that students can access.  

From summer 2024 we’re also doing work to lobby the Council on their local licensing policy, which currently makes no reference to the responsibility that nighttime venues & door staff should take to support those who may have been spiked.  

Consent Education 

In February 2024 our 23-24 Women’s Rep, Dot Williams, had a policy unanimously passed at Union Council to make Consent education mandatory at Hallam. We’re currently working with several teams including Wellbeing & Report & Support at the University to see how we can embed this, including a mini module on consent. We’re also waiting on the  

Office for Students (OfS) to propose a new approach to the regulation of harassment and sexual misconduct affecting students in registered higher education providers. The consultation was held in spring 2023 to set out the background to their proposals, the reasons they proposed to make changes, and what they expected those changes to achieve. Ther results of this consultation are due to be out soon and will shape the University’s activty going forward.  

Reclaim the Night  

On International Women’s Day 2024 our 23-24 Women’s Rep, Dot Williams, held a Reclaim the Night march in solidarity for all women who experience sexual violence, especially the student population in the night time economy, which is where Reclaim the Night originated, after the murder of Yorkshire women at the hands of the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ in the 1980s that led to curfews being given to women, rather than men.  

Signposting:  

• Sexual assault and harassment are illegal and should be reported to the Police and to Report and Support. 

• Hallam's Wellbeing Service can offer help and 1-1 support. They also run a Survivors group through Report & Support. 

• If you have been spiked please make a report to Report & Support, you don’t need to know who did it, and you can even report it anonymously & ask for no further action to be taken, but us having the data means we can properly monitor if there is another increase in spiking across the city.  

Get involved 

Feeling angry about experiences of sexual violence? Want to run a campaign about it? Contact us at campaigns@shu.ac.uk.