Almost half of CDU students surveyed were sexually harassed last year

Almost half of surveyed students at Charles Darwin University (CDU) say they experienced sexual harassment last year, according to a new national survey.

The Australian Human Rights Commission's national survey into sexual harassment and assaults on campuses was released today.

It drew 30,000 responses nationally, including 362 from Charles Darwin University.

Forty-five per cent of the CDU students said they experienced sexual harassment in 2016, with 13 per cent of that group saying that the harassment happened at university.

Nationally 51 per cent of students surveyed said they were sexually harassed in 2016, with one in four sexually harassed at a university setting.

Sexual assault at university was reported by 1.3 per cent of Charles Darwin survey respondents, compared with 1.6 per cent nationally.

'Insufficient responses to be statistically relevant'

The vice-chancellor of Charles Darwin University, Professor Simon Maddocks, said the survey results did not provide a lot of detail, "because … overall [Charles Darwin's] student numbers are relatively low".

"Put simply, in some areas there were insufficient responses to be statistically relevant," Professor Maddocks said.

"There is no reason to believe, however, that CDU is greatly different to the rest of the sector in terms of sexual assault and sexual harassment, which is why I have committed CDU to [Universities Australia]'s 10-point action plan."

The plan includes the establishment of an interim 24-hour support line to be operated by Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia, the development of a respectful relationships program for university students and the extension of first responder training to more frontline university staff.

CDU 'continuing to develop systems'

Professor Maddocks said CDU had policies, trained staff and services to support victims of sexual harassment or assault, but would continue to develop its systems.

He said CDU was considering creating a university-side network of contact officers specifically trained to support students and staff affected by sexual violence.

A majority of those categorised that the nature of the harassment was inappropriate staring or leering, sexually suggestive comments or jokes, or intrusive and offensive questions about the victim's private life or physical appearance.

Fifty-one per cent of students who reported an experience of sexual assault said that the perpetrator was not someone they knew, but 66 per cent said it was a fellow student and 59 per cent said the perpetrator was male.

Only 2 per cent of those who reported experiencing sexual harassment sought support or assistance from the university.

Sixty-six per cent of those who did not report the harassment said they did not think it was serious enough, while 19 per cent said they did not want to get the perpetrator in trouble.

Just over one fifth of people who experienced sexual harassment said they did not report it because of confusion about cultural norms in Australia.

University	Sexually harassed (%)	Sexually harassed at university (%)	Sexually assaulted (%)	Sexually assaulted at university (%)
University of New England	50	16	10	4
ANU	57	38	7.9	3.5
Charles Sturt University	48	18	6.6	3.3
University of South Australia	49	24	8.5	3
Bond University	62	38	8.7	2.7
Southern Cross University	53	17	6.9	2.6
University of Sydney	50	31	7.3	2.5
Deakin	50	21	8.2	2.3
University of Western Australia	51	28	7.9	2.2
UTS	52	31	8.3	2.2
RMIT	46	27	7.4	2.1
QUT	54	28	7	2
Maquarie University	52	30	8.1	1.8
University of Tasmania	54	30	6.5	1.8
Griffith University	51	25	6.9	1.8
James Cook University	52	27	8	1.8
La Trobe University	56	30	8.8	1.7
Main report - Australia-wide	51	26	6.9	1.6
The University of Melbourne	50	27	6.2	1.5
Monash University	51	28	6.5	1.5
University of Newcastle	55	31	8	1.4
UNSW Sydney	52	29	5.5	1.3
Charles Darwin University	45	13	5.2	1.3
Wollongong University	49	26	5.1	1.2
University of Queensland	53	28	5.4	1.1
University of Canberra	54	26	7.2	1.1
Australian Catholic University	48	24	8.1	1.1
University of Notre Dame	50	32	8	1.1
University of the Sunshine Coast	54	22	8.8	1
University of Adelaide	51	28	6.7	0.8
Murdoch University	58	26	7.3	0.8
University of Southern QLD	46	26	7.7	0.8
Victoria University	47	26	7.3	0.7
University of Western Sydney	49	25	5.7	0.6
Edith Cowan University	50	21	6.8	0.6
Federation University	39	14	4.7	0.6
Central Queensland University	44	14	4.2	0.5
Curtin University	51	21	6	0.3
Swinburne University	56	17	4	0.2
Flinders University	52	23	5.5	0.2