Sexual Violence in University Settings

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to analyse the complex subject of sexual violence in universities. Using different approaches and methodologies, we seek to deepen our knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon as a basis for designing public policies, programmes and projects for its prevention.

Since the 1980s, when Mary Koss revealed that up to one in four female university students had been the victim of rape or attempted rape—introducing the concept of “date rape” in her work on the topic—research on sexual violence in the university setting has advanced via use of various methodologies, behavioural questionnaires, qualitative interviews, and institutional analyses. Sexual violence has come to be recognised as a structural and cultural problem, and current lines of research include studies on prevalence and risk factors such as gender, LGBTIQ+ identity, disability, alcohol consumption, and membership in fraternities or sports teams. In addition, universities tend to have low reporting rates because victims feel fear, shame, or mistrust of the institution, not to mention they show more symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, school dropout, or decreased performance associated with this type of violence.

Given the persistence of a culture of silence and minimisation of violence, an intervention is needed that combines prevention, care, and justice focused on victims. Such an intervention would ideally involve using qualitative methods to collect subjective experiences, analysing the role of academic and administrative staff, including trans and non-binary people as a study population, and incorporating public health and human rights approaches.

Prof. Dr. Gracia González-Gijón
Prof. Dr. Andrés Soriano-Díaz
Dr. Claudia Chiarolanza
Dr. Nazaret Martínez-Heredia
Guest Editors

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