Any form of sexual misconduct, assault or harassment is #Never OK.
If you think you have been the target of sexual misconduct, assault or harassment, it may be hard to know what to do or how to feel. What happened was not your fault. What you do next is your choice.
Some forms of verbal or physical assault are considered a Hate Crime. Such forms of unacceptable behaviour are contrary to the Equality Act 2010 and the University Code of Good Practice.
If you think you have experienced any kind of sexual misconduct, assault or harassment, it may be hard to know what to do or to manage how you are feeling. Whatever you feel is a valid response and there is no right or wrong way to feel or be. Your safety and wellbeing are the most important things right now and you can access specialist support, if and whenever you feel ready.
Think
- Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone).
- Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere you feel safe.
- Let the University Security team know:
- Call 0118 378 6300 in the case of an emergency on campus. The University Security Team will be able to assist you in contacting the emergency services if necessary.
- Call 0118 378 7799 for any other non-emergency campus security concerns.
- What is sexual misconduct, assault or harassment? It might be useful to think about what is meant by these behaviours and how they are described.
Report
- Report and Support. Students and staff can report an incident using the University’s Report and Support system. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can report with contact details. If you choose to report with contact details, a staff member from the appropriate University support service will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence.
- University Procedure. If you choose to make a formal complaint to the University about a student or member of staff there are procedures that set out the steps you'll need to follow.
- If you are a student, read the Student Complaints Procedure
- If you are an employee, read the Grievance Procedure
Get Support
Find out what support is available if you think you have been bullied or harassed:
Find out what support is available if you think you have been bullied or harassed:
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Find out more about the support available for mental health and wellbeing:
Find out more about the support available for mental health and wellbeing:
- Student Wellbeing Services
- Employee Health and Wellbeing
- It’s important that you take care of yourself. If you’ve heard something distressing or if something is troubling you, the University's Counselling Service offers confidential help and is open to students, employees can contact the Employee Assistance Programme.