2nd May 2022
MONSU PENINSULA NSSS STATEMENT:
CW: SEXUAL HARASSMENT, ASSAULT AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Dear Monash Peninsula students,
As you may be aware, the National Student Safety Survey results were released in late March and here at MONSU Peninsula we’ve been taking the time to reflect upon and digest the meaning of these results.
Firstly, we would like to thank the 1249 Monash University students who participated in the survey and bravely shared your experiences.
Secondly, we would like to acknowledge your experiences and the trauma you may have experienced, and validate to you that it never was and never will be your fault.
Sexual assault and harassment is never okay, and we are sorry that many of our Monash students have not felt safe within their own university.
No student should experience assault or harassment on campus, on student residence or at clubs and events.
It should not occur anywhere. It should not occur at all.
Today we would like to reaffirm our commitment at MONSU Peninsula to continue making university a safer space for students.
We actively endorse and support Monash University’s response and commitments to changes following the NSSS, and look forward to working alongside the university and holding them accountable for these changes.
Almost 50% of Monash students do not know where to turn to make a complaint about assault, and 15.3% of Monash students have experienced sexual harassment since starting university. These statistics are frightening to us. We will help change this.
We are actively working alongside our key stakeholders to ensure that our initiatives to address these alarming statistics will efficiently create targeted and tangible change for students at Peninsula.
This is a reprehensible and alarming issue which we will unfortunately not have a solution for tomorrow.
However, we are confident that we can enact change in the culture of our university to better protect them from such instances occurring. We will never be complacent, and will continually be informed by the current data on how we can work together for a more inclusive and safer community at our Peninsula campus.
We hope to enact these changes by:
Implementing initiatives to improve awareness of Safer Communities, Security and support services at both Monash University, our Peninsula campus and at MONSU Peninsula
Alongside the MSA and MONSU Caulfield, we have lobbied to the University to adopt a model of Affirmative Consent in the Sexual Misconduct Procedure.
Working alongside the Respectful Communities team to ensure each of our office bearers and club executives are educated on gender based violence prevention, through the likes of BRIGHT training.
Working alongside our Queer Office Bearers and Queer Collective to ensure we are continually cultivating a respectful and inclusive community at our campus.
To our survivors, we see you, we hear you and appreciate your bravery.
Yours sincerely,
MONSU Peninsula Student Council 2022
SUPPORT NUMBERS
Monash Counselling
https://www.monash.edu/students/support/health/counselling
Lifeline - 13 11 14
1800 Respect - 1800 737 732
SECASA - 1800 806 292
Monash Safer Community Unit
https://www.monash.edu/students/support/safety-and-security/safer-community-unit
