SUBU believes that sexual misconduct, harassment and violence are #NeverOK

 

What are sexual harassment, assault and consent?

Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature which:

• violates your dignity
• makes you feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated
• creates a hostile or offensive environment

You don’t need to have previously objected to someone's behaviour for it to be considered unwanted.

 

Sexual harassment can include:

 

• sexual comments or jokes
• physical behaviour, including unwelcome sexual advances, touching and various forms of sexual assault
• displaying pictures, photos or drawings of a sexual nature
• sending emails with a sexual content

 

Sexual harassment

 

Sexual harassment is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. The law says it’s sexual harassment if the behaviour is either meant to, or has the effect of:

• violating your dignity, or
• creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment

 

Sexual Assualt

 

A person commits sexual assault if they intentionally touch you, the touching is sexual and you do not consent. 

It involves all unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature and ranges from pinching, embracing, groping and kissing, to rape and serious sexual assault which involves penetration without consent. 

 

Consent 

 

You must have the capacity to give free agreement. Capacity is based on you: 

• Being the right age 
• Being sober 
• Having the mental and physical ability to freely agree 
• Not being threatened or afraid of harm 
• Not being detained against your will 

 

 

 

 

Active Bystander 

Have you ever been on a night out and noticed that someone might be in danger and didn’t know what to do? We’ve all been there but it is important that we are active bystanders within these situations. 

Before taking action, always assess whether it is safe for you to do so – your personal safety is always a priority. If it is safe, then try and intervene with one of the four Ds: 

Direct Action 

Where safe to do so, calmly call out the negative behaviour, tell the perpetrator to stop or ask the victim if they are ok.  

Distract 

Interrupt the situation – start a conversation with the perpetrator to allow the target to get away or use an excuse to safety remove the target from the situation, such as needing to speak with them. 

Delegate 

If you are not comfortable calling out the situation yourself, get someone else to step in. Venue staff and security will be able to deal with the situation in a safe way 

Delay 

If the situation is too dangerous for you to deal with right then and there, then walk away. When you are in a safe situation then report it with as much detail as you can. 

If you deem the situation to be an emergency, always call the police on 999. 

 

SUBU Initiatives 

Ensuring students feel safe while out is important to SUBU, so we have a series of initiatives to help keep you safe. 

Ask for Angela 

Do you feel that you’re not in a safe situation, or want some help getting out of an uncomfortable interaction? 

Ask for Angela! 

If you feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened while in any SUBU venues, you can discreetly seek help from venue staff by asking them for ‘Angela’. This will indicate to staff that you need help, and they will support and assist you to get out of the situation you are in.  

Venues included in the scheme: 

The Old Fire Station 

Dylan’s 

The Student Centre- SUBU staff within the Student Centre can be identified by their blue lanyards 

 

Safe Taxi Scheme 

Your safety is our priority 

For Freshers 2021 SUBU  launched a Safe Taxi Scheme.  

If you’ve run out of money on a night out and need to get home safety, you can take a ‘safe taxi’ home.  

All you need to do is call 01202 556677, quote ‘999-safe taxi’ and provide your student number. When the taxi arrives, the driver will check your student card to confirm your identity and then take you home. You will then be given a receipt for your journey. Within the next week someone from SUBU will then be in touch to arrange a time for you to settle your bill. 

You must have your student card on you, without it you will not be able to use the scheme 

 

Active Bystander Training

SUBU is working with STARs the Sexual Trauma and Recovery Services to deliver training to our Student Leaders. The training will be taking place on the 2nd of December and will be an interactive workshop is designed to support attendees to identify sexual harassment, understand rape culture and its implications to society and covers various bystander initiatives. The outcomes will be to increase awareness, empathy and understanding of others, change views around what constitutes sexual harassment and the empowerment of people to support each other.

 

Good Night Out

SUBU's nightclub the Old Firestation is an accredited Good Night Out venue. This is an industry accreditation that ensures that venues have suitable policies and procedures in place to tackle sexual harassment and assault.

You can find out more about Good Night Out here.

 

Spiking

Students can collect 'spikey' bottle stoppers from behind the bar at the Old Fire Station and at the SUBU reception on the first floor of the Student Centre, Talbot Campus. The Old Fire Station also has spiking testing kits.
 

Girls Night In

Following the success of the national Girls Night In campaign, which SUBU publically supported, we are committed to ensuring that we continue to listen to the campaign and are currently mapping against the demands and looking to implement the necessary changes to ensure that we are doing all that we can to create a safe community for our students.

 

 

 

 

How to report 

Only around 15% of those who experience sexual violence report to the police. We’ve collected information on how to report to BU, the Shores and the Police depending on what you want to do. 

Police 

You can report sexual violence directly to the police by calling 101 and asking for a specially trained officer. This officer will listen to your report, explain the options open to you and investigate the case further if you wish. 

Always dial 999 in an emergency. 

The Shores 

Even if you don’t wish to report what has happened to the police – The Shores can help you. To report to them simply call them on 0800 970 9954 where a Crisis Worker will listen to what has happened. From there they will explain how they can help and the options available to you 

BU 

You can report an incident of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault, whether on campus or off, directly to BU via their online reporting system. This can be done either with a call back from an advisor or anonymously. If you ask for a call back from an advisor, they will support you with your options. 

Forms.bournemouth.ac.uk/ReportingCrimes 

 

Support

If you have experienced sexual misconduct, harassment or violence, there are some local specialist groups that may be able to help and support you. 

STARS 

STARS is the Sexual Trauma and Recovery Service for Dorset and provides a number of services to those in Dorset who have experienced any form of sexual violence throughout their lives. Their services are free and include support from Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, counselling, a telephone support line and a specialist service for children and young people. 

You can find out more about the support they offer on their website (starsdorset.org) or contact them on info@starsdorset.org 

STARS Telephone Support Line: 01202 308855 

The Shores 

The Shores supports victims of rape or serious sexual assault in Bournemouth and is independent of any other agency. They can support victims in reporting what has happened to them, talk to them about their options and also help with things like information on STIs. They cater to all genders and try their best to make their service is as accessible to everyone as possible. 

You can find out more about their services on their website: the-shores.org.uk 

The Shores 24hr support line: 0800 970 9954 

 

Myth Busting 

Myth: Only women are victims of sexual violence 

Fact: There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ victim of sexual violence. Sexual violence affects all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races and social classes 

Myth: A lot of rape allegations are false and made to cover up regretted sexual activity 

Fact: Research suggests that the percentage of false reports is no higher than any other crime (about 3%). In fact, most sexual violence victims do not tell the police at all because they are afraid to and don’t think it will make a difference. 

Myth: Victims are raped because they get drunk and dress provocatively, or because they are attractive 

Fact: Sexual violence is never the victim's fault. In law, consent must be fully and freely given by someone with the capacity to do so. If a person is unconscious or incapacitated by alcohol or drugs, they are unable to give their consent to sex. 

Myth: There is nothing I can do to prevent sexual violence 

Fact: There are many ways you can help prevent sexual violence including talking to friends and family about the facts and what support is available, reporting sexist hate crime and knowing how to be an active bystander