Safety
- Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).
- Find a safe space - If an incident has just occurred, try to find somewhere you feel safe.
- If this isn't possible and you are scared or fearful, you can call security on 01225 87 5555 or the Police non-emergency number, 101.
Support for BSU students
When you have experienced sexual harassment, there is no right or wrong way to feel. It may be that lots of complicated and conflicting thoughts are going through your mind, and the most important thing we want you to know is that you are not alone, and there is support for you at the University.
When you have experienced sexual harassment, there is no right or wrong way to feel. It may be that lots of complicated and conflicting thoughts are going through your mind, and the most important thing we want you to know is that you are not alone, and there is support for you at the University.
- Sexual Violence Liaison Officer support – The University has specifically trained staff who can talk through your options and make sure you are able to access specialist and more general support.
- We know that when people experience sexual harassment, it can have an impact on being able to engage or focus on your studies. Please consider submitting exceptional circumstances if your studies have been or are being affected. A Sexual Violence Liaison Officer can help you with this; you don’t need to share any details of what happened.
Support from specialist services
- The Bridge (Bristol’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre) - can discuss and connect you to specialist support options in the local area
- If you're not in the Avon and Somerset area: Find rape and sexual assault referral centres - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Paladin - National Stalking Advocacy Service
- The National Stalking Helpline
Reporting what happened
- Deciding whether to report what has happened to you is a very personal decision
- We encourage all students who are considering reporting sexual harassment to speak with a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer to make sure you have information about reporting and support options
- Reporting to the police. You can report a crime by calling the non-emergency number, 101 or online. You can be supported with this by Safe Link, an independent agency who advise and support people through police reporting for sexual violence. A Sexual Violence Liaison Officer can talk to you further about this and connect you to Safe Link.
- You can report an incident anonymously using the Anonymous reporting form. We will not normally be able to take any direct action as a result of an anonymous report or contact you to offer further support unless you choose to use the two way messaging service.
- Note that we cannot guarantee confidentiality for anyone named in the report, if there are risk concerns.
- If the perpetrator is a BSU student or staff member, you have the option to formally report this to the University as a disciplinary matter. Note that submitting a Report and Support form will not constitute a formal report itself but will connect you to further information about reporting options. Note that we cannot guarantee confidentiality for anyone named in a report, if there are risk concerns.
- BSUSU Advice Centre - a free, confidential, impartial service where an advisor can talk through the procedure, how to complain, what options are available and support you through the process. This support includes checking draft complaints and attending any meetings with the University.