Sexual Violence in Higher Education: staff knowledge, understanding and confidence in supporting minoritised students who disclose sexual violence

Gunby, Clare ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8428-6621, Machin, Laura, Smailes, Harriet, Ansari, Saima, Chantler, Khatidja ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9129-2560, Bradbury-Jones, Caroline, Butterby, Kate and Donovan, Catherine (2025) Sexual Violence in Higher Education: staff knowledge, understanding and confidence in supporting minoritised students who disclose sexual violence. Gender and Education. ISSN 0954-0253 (In Press)

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Abstract

Sexual violence on UK university campuses has received research and policy attention. However, little is known about the experiences and responses to student victim-survivors with minoritised identities and how inequalities linked to race, sexuality and disability may impact the disclosure process. To address this gap, we conducted 34 interviews with academic and professional service staff working at three UK universities to understand their knowledge of the intersections between minoritisation and sexual violence, awareness of institutional processes and support provision and staff confidence in receiving disclosures of sexual violence. Our findings outline the layers of complexity that minoritisation adds to the experience of sexual violence, the lack of confidence amongst academic staff in receiving disclosures, compounded by their limited knowledge of institutional provision and process. We call for a whole-institution, intersectional response to enable universities to provide practices and policy that serve the interests of all.