From 'underhanding' to 'violate a fresher' nights, sexual assault is common in clubs – but students won't put up with it any more

Sexual harassment is constant in clubs and it must stop, students say

"In clubs there's a game called 'underhanding', where a boy stands behind a girl and tries to put his fingers inside her," says Stephanie Davies-Arai, one of the campaigners behind the No More Page 3 campaign.

"At a Feminism in London workshop recently there were about 70 people in the room and when someone brought this up, all the young women knew what the word meant."

From nasty comments, to groping and grabbing, sexual harassment is defined as behaviour that is unwanted, intimidating or humiliating for the victim. Touching another person in a sexual way when they haven't consented is defined by the police as sexual assault.

"These crimes are normalised by society," says Katherine Chapman, women's officer at Sheffield University. "They're almost encouraged, and are most prevalent among young people."

But many students have started to fight back and demand change.

In Sheffield, students have launched a full-blown campaign to counter the problem, with young men and women from both universities in the city uniting to form the Sheffield Anti-Sexual Harassment (Sash) group.

Sash is campaigning for clubs to hang posters on their walls to raise awareness. It is also asking them to train their bouncers and staff to spot and deal with harassment.

"It started when a friend was grabbed in a nightclub," says Lauren Archer, from Sash. "She reported the man to the bouncer, and he just said 'boys will be boys' and accused her of overreacting. Later she pushed the guy away and the bouncer kicked her out of the club."

Harassment happens so frequently that many don't even think to report it. "Sexual harassment is constant," says Archer. "People would touch my legs, bum or boobs, without my consent, two or three times a week when I was a fresher.

"Last time I went out, a group of four men blocked me from going through a door. When I asked them to move, one of them reached over, grabbed my face, forced it into a smile and told me to get over myself.

"I haven't reported harassment in ages because I became so used to bouncers laughing at me or saying it was my fault. It felt pointless to make a fuss about it."

The Sash group wants to use a poster campaign to encourage people to come forward. "We want to stand up and say: this is illegal, this is assault," says Archer. "You're not taking things too far or being a kill-joy if you report it. You deserve to enjoy your night and everyone should feel safe."

Sash wants to put a list of clubs online that are believed to be "safe spaces" for women. It plans to talk to student societies to make sure that they are not collaborating with clubs that are unsafe. The group hopes that the commercial incentive to get on to the approved list will encourage bars to work with it.

Students in Leeds are also demanding change. There, the feminist society and student paper are running a campaign to get the club night that hosted 'Fresher's Violation' – where female staff "have what is meant to look like semen on their trousers" – closed down.

Their online petition has reached over 3,500 signatures, at the time of writing, and has attracted attention from police and the local council. In addition to this, Leeds Femsoc want to persuade clubs around Leeds to sign a pledge against sexual harassment.

"We want staff in clubs to be trained so that they know what harassment is and understand how to help," says Freya Potter, from Leeds Femsoc. "We also want to make sure that they don't use material in their advertising that encourages and normalises assault."

Elsewhere, students in Bristol have used Facebook to draw attention to the problem, creating a page called 'Spotted: Sexism at Bristol', where students can name and shame those involved.

"One post showed a young girl in a club who had passed out," says Alice Philips, women's officer at Bristol University. "Instead of helping her, four boys took pictures up her skirt."

She adds: "We want to show people that this is happening. It's dangerous for people to say there's nothing wrong and everything's alright. We are giving women a voice and enabling them to shout back."

No More Page 3 says the situation is concerning. "It's a huge issue," says Davies-Arai. "Girls now accept that they will be groped when they go out.

"Often bouncers don't do anything about it. Many aren't trained in looking out for sexual harassment and sometimes it even comes from the bouncers themselves. There's no acknowledgement of the problem and no steps to make sure that it doesn't happen."

This is particularly damaging for young students, says Archer. "People are at university for three years. It's a time when you grow up, become an adult and develop your sense of self. That shouldn't be limited by the fact that nightclub venues allow harassment to happen and in some cases even promote it. Everyone should be made to feel safe."

"Students are definitely making a difference," says Chapman. "But no one is exempt from campaigning for this: it's everyone's job to make sure that young girls aren't sexually harassed."

Have you experienced or witnesed sexual assault or harassment in a nightclub? Let us know your experiences in the comment section below.