Russell Group report: Elite schools and colleges in the UK have endemic “rape culture”
In a startling expose, it has emerged that Oxford and Exeter universities are at the top of a ‘rape culture’ league table compiled from more than 1,000 testimonies from students, reports Dail Mail.
The Everyone’s Invited website is a platform that publishes accounts of sexual abuse and harassment, released the data on 15 April on rampant sexual abuse on campuses.
As per the report, rape culture is ‘endemic’ at universities and the website praised the courage of all the young women who had come forward to share their stories.
Data from 17 universities have been mentioned in more than five testimonies,.
What is even more disturbing is that the school’s name that has been mentioned are almost all of which were in the elite “Russell Group”.
Exeter was at the top, having been mentioned by 65 students with Oxford, in second place, was mentioned 57 times and Edinburgh and Leeds 53 times each.
Others in the list were Manchester, York, Durham, Imperial College, King’s College, the London School of Economics, University College London, Queen’s Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Portsmouth, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent.
A website spokesman said: ‘We are encouraged that university students have found the confidence to come forward and share their testimonies. Many people find that the act of sharing their story helps them in many ways. From the testimonies it is clear that rape culture is endemic on university campuses across the UK.’
The list also has some of the most expensive and elite private schools including Westminster, St Paul’s, Eton, Dulwich College, Latymer Upper, Highgate and King’s College, Wimbledon, and state schools such as The London Oratory were named in 12,000 anonymous testimonies on the website.
A Russell Group spokesman said: ‘No student should feel unsafe or have to tolerate harassment or sexual misconduct. Our universities take this issue incredibly seriously and provide a range of support to help students feel safe. Where a crime has been committed it should be reported to the police.’
A University of Exeter spokesman said: ‘We have made it clear to all members of our community that we have zero tolerance for sexual harassment, abuse or assault, and that criminal or disciplinary proceedings will be brought against those who commit these offences.’
