The majority of victims knew their attacker, the research suggests One in seven female students has been the victim of a serious sexual or physical assault, a study suggests. But few women report attacks to the police, according to a poll of more than 2,000 female students in the UK. More than four in 10 said they thought they would be blamed, the study on behalf of the National Union of Students (NUS) found. It said not enough was being done to get students to report incidents to their institutions or the police. A total of 14% of those polled in the online survey said they had been the victim of either a serious sexual assault or serious physical violence or both. It is vital that universities create an environment where women feel confident to speak out against abuse

Sandra Horley, Refuge One in four women (25%) said they had been subjected to an unwanted sexual experience while at university or college. Some 7% said they had been seriously sexually assaulted - 5% said they had been raped while 2% were the victim of attempted rape. A total of 11% said they had been subjected to a serious physical assault. Only 4% of female students who were sexually assaulted reported it to the university and only one in 10 reported it to the police, according to the poll. Half of those surveyed said they felt ashamed or embarrassed while 43% said they thought they would be blamed if they went to the police. Attacks 'by students' In the majority of cases in which a student had been attacked, assaulted or stalked, the victim knew the offender, it found. NUS women's officer Olivia Bailey said the report was a "wake-up call". She said: "It is extremely disturbing that so many women students are assaulted and harassed while at university or college, and it is particularly worrying that the perpetrators in many of these cases are fellow students." She called on universities and colleges to work with police, victim support and health services to give victims the confidence to come forward. Sandra Horley, chief executive of the charity Refuge, said she was "deeply saddened" to hear so many women were experiencing violence or harassment during their studies. "It is vital that universities create an environment where women feel confident to speak out against abuse. "Women students need to know where they can seek help, and must feel sure that their reports will be taken seriously. "Women have the right to enjoy university life, focus on their studies and plan for their futures, without fear of intimidation of violence." The survey questioned 2,058 current female students between August 2009 and March 2010.



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