Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week is taking place this week until 12 February 2023.
This week aims to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence, and gives organisations and individuals an opportunity to speak up, get involved and spread the word.
There are many voices that get left unheard, so as part of this week, Queen Mary is joining the conversation and running activities to support this campaign. You can find out more about the events we'll be running here: https://reportandsupport.qmul.ac.uk/campaigns/national-sexual-abuse-sexual-violence-awareness-week.
It is estimated that 56% of students experience unwanted sexual behaviours at University. If you have experienced any form of sexual violence, whatever the circumstances, whenever it happened, it was not your fault.
We want to use this opportunity to let survivors of sexual abuse know they do not stand alone and that there is help and support available. We also want to use this week to highlight the importance of engaging men in conversations around sexual abuse and in taking the opportunity to reflect on their own behaviour. THAT GUY is a campaign from Scotland Police that aims to reduce rape, serious sexual assault and harassment by having frank conversations with men about male sexual entitlement. They have created the following short videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVcu8Hwv8u8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAUOMHsm51E. Please view and help to raise awareness of these issues.
Thames Valley Police have also created a brilliant video on consent, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZwvrxVavnQ. We're encouraging all students to learn more about consent by completing Queen Mary's Consent Matters training - you can enrol by clicking on this link: https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/enrol/index.php?id=13572.
If you've been affected by sexual abuse, our Report and Support pages have information on services you can access: https://reportandsupport.qmul.ac.uk/support/what-support-is-available-for-sexual-violence. If you need support with your behaviour, you can contact the Respect Helpline on 0808 8024040 (Monday–Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday 10am-5pm).
Yours sincerely,
Mary Collins, Blizard Institute Director
Natalie McCloskey, Blizard Institute Manager
Louisa James, Blizard Dignity and Respect Champion
Tania Maffucci, Blizard Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Academic Lead
Kenneth Linton, Blizard Director of Graduate Studies
Ana Flores Reis, QMUL Sexual Assault and Harassment Advisor