Comes after business secretary's pledge to end lad culture at universities

They are aimed at stamping out inappropriate 'lad' behavior on its campus

University of Leicester has introduced mandatory seminars for all students

A university is forcing all students to go on 'anti-lad' workshops at the beginning of term to learn about sexual consent and excessive drinking.

Both male and female students at the University of Leicester will have to attend the mandatory seminars aimed at stamping out inappropriate behaviour on the East Midlands campus.

Issues such as excessive drinking, revenge porn, sexism, homophobia, sexual harassment and violence have all been linked to the practice of 'lad culture'.

University of Leicester is making all of its students take 'anti-lad' workshops to learn about consent and excessive drinking

Business secretary Sajid Javid last month pledged to 'end the evil' of sexual harassment and lad culture on university campuses in the UK.

His announcement came after it was revealed that a quarter of students have been groped or subjected to inappropriate touching.

The National Union of Students (NUS) also found two thirds of the 2,000 students polled said they had seen students have to put up with unwanted sexual comments.

Male students are known to engage in sexist 'banter', harassment and even sexual assault - particularly during Freshers' Week.

But Mr Javid said this behaviour was not to be tolerated, adding that he, like all parents, would expect his three daughters to be as safe on campus as his son.

Now the University of Leicester's equality advisor, Chris Sharp, has said that all students will have to attend the tutorials, which will be rolled out next year.

Business secretary Sajid Javid last month pledged to 'end the evil' of sexual harassment and lad culture on university campuses in the UK

'We'll look at tackling issues such as "lad culture" - that inappropriate behaviour mostly displayed by males, but not exclusively, which we'll do by training our students with things like workshops on consent,' he said.

'Sixty years ago we didn't have the same issues we have today. I think we need to look at things like common sense - and the effects of alcohol.

'We need to make students sensitive to how their actions affect other people and how they make them feel. The courses will be incorporated into the curriculum, but not before next year.'

The initiative has been welcomed by some students on campus, including Maya Hewitt, who is president of the university's Feminist Society.

She said: 'I am absolutely thrilled to hear about the anti-lad culture courses. The concept "lad culture" affects the majority of our students and I think it is definitely an issue to tackle.'

Miss Hewitt said she knew that in Freshers' Week there was a trend to have sex with a first-year based on the assumption that many would be virgins.

She added: 'This is an issue seeing as though many people will either feel a social pressure to have sex if they're not ready, in some cases it will be sex without consent and most importantly, there will be a likely absence of respect for one another.'

It comes as the university helped launch a worldwide gender equality project organised by the United Nations, which aims to promote a greater balance between the sexes.

The HeForShe Get Free roadshow kicked off its UK and European tour on the campus yesterday.

Among the speakers was Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan, the Minister for Women and Equalities.

She said: 'Acts of violence against women and girls are abhorrent and have no place in our society.'

Issues such as excessive drinking, revenge porn, sexism, homophobia, sexual harassment and violence have all been linked to the practice of 'lad culture' (pictured, film image of students sociably drinking)



