By Eleanor Ellis
Content warning: Sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct
The “Sexual Misconduct Reports and Disclosures” report was released today, Wednesday 2 March 2022, providing information and data on reports and disclosures of sexual misconduct lodged with the University between 2019 and 2021.
The report states it is a “significant step towards improving institutional transparency and accountability”, reflecting the university’s commitment to “improve our support and processes”.
Key findings of the report include:
- More people are coming forward to report/disclose each year.
- In 2021, the majority of perpetrators were penalised with exclusion from the University.
- The majority of incidents happened on campus in residential halls/colleges. Incidents off campus tended to occur in nightclubs, bars or private residences.
The report is presented in two parts:
- The first part includes data on formal reports made by ANU students to the University Registrar’s Office. These are considered official complaints which are followed by a review into the allegation and an inquiry. The respondent (alleged perpetrator) has the right to view and respond to the report.
- The second part provides data on disclosures lodged through the ANU Sexual Misconduct Disclosure form. These are not formal complaints, but information provided about an incident that the person believes to be sexual misconduct. Disclosures can be anonymous, and what the victim/survivor believes to be sexual misconduct. These can be anonymous, and the victim/survivor is not required to identify other parties involved.
Part 1: University Registrar’s Office
In 2019, there were four reports of sexual misconduct:
- Three went to inquiry and all respondents were found to have engaged in misconduct with a suspension penalty applied to each (ranging six to 12 months)
- The fourth was withdrawn prior to inquiry.
In 2020, there were nine reports of sexual misconduct:
- Six went to inquiry and all respondents were found to have engaged in misconduct. Five received penalties (ranging from reprimand, conditions on enrolment, and suspension). The report does not explain why the sixth report received no penalty after misconduct was confirmed at inquiry.
- The three reports that did not go to inquiry were either withdrawn or suspended as a result of “other proceedings”. The report does not clarify what this means/involves.
In 2021, there were 31 reports of sexual misconduct, a significant increase from previous years.
However, the report notes that “an increase in the number of reports might not necessarily indicate an increase in incidents” but rather “may signal that victim/survivors feel more equipped …have a better understanding of the reporting options available to them [and] feel safe and empowered to report to the University”.
- 29 reports went to inquiry & all were found to have engaged in misconduct. Of these, 10% of respondents received conditions on their enrolment, over a third (38%) were suspended or denied access to the University for a specified period of time, and more than half (52%) were excluded from the university.
- Seven were still in progress at the time of writing.
- Three were either “beyond the jurisdiction of the University” or were deemed “inappropriate to proceed due to other processes having already been undertaken”.
The average time to finalise reports was 27 working days.
Part 2: ANU Sexual Misconduct Disclosure Form
The purpose of a disclosure is to “provide the victim/survivor… with information and support”, while also improving “the University’s understanding of the prevalence of sexual misconduct through improved data collection”.
The disclosure form is made up of 66 questions, the majority of which are optional.
The first question is “Are you safe right now?”. Those who answer “no” are prompted to contact emergency or other support services, provide an email address for further information to be supplied, and to “focus on their safety” and return to the form later.
In the first year (October 2019 to September 2020), 250 disclosures were lodged, 76 of which were discontinued after the first question. Seven were discontinued as they did not feel safe, while 69 were discontinued despite stating they felt safe.
In the second year (October 2020 to September 21), 366 disclosures were lodged. 58 were discontinued after question one, including 10 who said they did not feel safe.
The report includes data regarding reasons for completing the form, including personal experience, supporting someone, witnessing an incident, and disclosures by ANU services (e.g. ANU Counselling, residential halls, the RRU, the Dean of Students).
Key findings:
- In both years, most disclosures were based on personal experience (22% in the first year, then 35% in the second) and the fewest were disclosures by witnesses (10.2% then 5.2%).
- The majority of disclosed incidents involved undergraduate students (72.2% in the first year and 81.1% in the second). The report notes “limited utilisation of the form by staff” and suggests this may be due to their “understanding of pathways for support and reporting of misconduct under industrial relations instruments”.
- The majority of disclosures were made by people who live on campus (58.5% followed by 70.3%) and almost all were over 18.
- The majority of people impacted by incidents were female (82.9% 2019-20 and 76.2% 2020-21).
- The form asks, “When did the disclosed incident occur?”, with answers ranging from 24 hours to over three years ago. The top answer was within the past year (23.3% 2019-20 and 25.7% 2020-21)
The report notes that:
- Some disclosures may involve incidents that happened a long time ago, or incidents that happened on or off campus.
- As the form is available to victim/survivors, support persons, witnesses, and bystanders who can be de-identified. Multiple disclosures can be lodged about the same incident by different people. Thus, the report notes that “the data on disclosures does not indicate the number of incidents of sexual misconduct”.
- Disclosures made through other avenues (e.g. to a peer, a staff member, or student associations and clubs) are not reflected in the report.
After lodging the disclosure, the Respectful Relationships Unit and the Student Safety and Wellbeing team provide information on support options, facilitate academic special consideration, and implement safety interventions in residences, learning/research spaces on campus, and online.
The National Student Safety Survey is due to be released in early 2022 and will be “a single source of truth regarding the prevalence of sexual violence at the ANU”.
The report concludes by affirming the University’s dedication to publishing information about reports and disclosures of sexual misconduct in our community on an annual basis. Further, it acknowledges the need for continuous improvement in partnerships with all those impacted by sexual violence, including advocacy groups and support services.
Support is available:
ANU Student Wellbeing [email protected]
1800 Respect (1800 737 732)
Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 02 6247 2525 (7am–11pm) or 131 444 (after hours)
Lifeline 13 11 14
