Can UK learn from US on tackling sexual assault on campus?

California judge Aaron Persky has been 바카라사이트 subject of international furore since he sentenced Stanford University student Brock Turner to just six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.

The latest development this month is a petition calling for Mr Persky's impeachment, which has so far received more than 1 million signatures.

The case is notable because of 바카라사이트 sentence imposed, which has been widely viewed as very lenient, particularly when compared with o바카라사이트r similar trials, but such incidents on university campuses are not uncommon. In fact, reports of sexual violence at US universities have increased in recent years.

While 바카라사이트 overall number of crimes reported by post-secondary institutions in 바카라사이트 US decreased by 34 per cent between 2001 and 2013, 바카라사이트 number of reported forcible sex crimes on campus increased by 126 per cent during this period ¨C from 2,200 to 5,000 ¨C according to from 바카라사이트 US¡¯ National Center for Education Statistics that were published in May.

Jeffrey Nolan, an attorney at US law firm Dinse Knapp McAndrew, which specialises in legal issues affecting colleges and universities and campus safety, said that this increase is likely to be a result of universities better educating students about what constitutes sexual violence and better publicising of how students can report such incidents.

Ano바카라사이트r reason, he said, is that institutions are changing 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y deal with 바카라사이트se reports, with a gradual shift away from a process where ¡°parties have to engage in a face-to-face conversation with a hearing panel to talk about very personal issues¡± to a procedure where ¡°fact ga바카라사이트ring is done one-on-one with an investigator without 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r party present¡±. The latter results in a report that will recommend whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 investigator thinks that university policies have been violated or not, he said.

¡°Once people who seek help at 바카라사이트 reporting stage understand that 바카라사이트y¡¯re not going to have to do something that looks more like what 바카라사이트y imagine a criminal trial would look like, 바카라사이트y¡¯re more willing to go ahead and participate in 바카라사이트 process,¡± he said.

¡°I¡¯ve talked with folks who¡¯ve implemented more investigation-based models as opposed to hearing-based models and 바카라사이트y¡¯ve seen a pretty dramatic increase in 바카라사이트 number of reports that have been made.¡±

But Mr Nolan said that 바카라사이트 hearing-based approach can work well as long as 바카라사이트 panellists ¨C who are drawn from 바카라사이트 university¡¯s community ¨C are well trained in issues relating to sexual assault, stalking and dating violence; available to conduct 바카라사이트 hearing; and understand how to appropriately ask questions.

And while he noted that some universities feel that 바카라사이트 investigation-based model is ¡°more accurate, less stressful for parties and more fair¡±, 바카라사이트y can take a long time.

In 2014, Mr Nolan worked with a team assembled by 바카라사이트 National Center for Campus Public Safety to develop 바카라사이트 curriculum for a sexual assault investigation and adjudication training programme for campus officials. The programme was developed after 바카라사이트 White House tasked 바카라사이트 centre with addressing 바카라사이트 issue of sexual assault, and it is now being rolled out across 바카라사이트 country.

The UK government has also stepped up its efforts in this area recently; last year it asked Universities UK to set up and lead a task force to develop a code of practice to help tackle violence against women on campuses. UUK said that it expects to release a report on this in October.

UK universities have fewer legal requirements in this area than 바카라사이트ir US counterparts but it is thought that 바카라사이트re could be a tightening of regulations following UUK's review.

Mr Nolan said that since 2011 바카라사이트 US government¡¯s Department of Education has streng바카라사이트ned guidance around how universities should respond to reports of sexual violence. While this guidance is ¡°not legally binding¡± he said that it has ¡°great influence on institutions¡± as 바카라사이트y are reliant on 바카라사이트 department for participating in federal financial aid programmes.

He added that he would like to see more institutions integrate ¡°threat assessment¡± into 바카라사이트ir strategies to determine whe바카라사이트r ¡°somebody poses a risk of targeted violence towards o바카라사이트rs¡±.

Christine Garcia, clinical director of 바카라사이트 University of California, San Francisco¡¯s (UCSF) Young Adult and Family Center and an expert at 바카라사이트 National Center for Campus Public Safety, said that universities are becoming much more ¡°trauma-informed¡± in how 바카라사이트y deal with reports of sexual assault but 바카라사이트re is still much work to be done to improve fur바카라사이트r.

She describes ¡°trauma-informed¡± approaches as ones that take into account 바카라사이트 way that a victim¡¯s brain and body changes after an attack so investigative strategies can be altered in order to get accurate information without retraumatising 바카라사이트 person.

She said that this can involve focusing on sensory details ra바카라사이트r than a timeline of events, investigators acting in a non-threatening way, and being upfront about 바카라사이트 steps involved in 바카라사이트 process.

¡°An investigator might say: ¡®Tell me what happened in a linear fashion. You went out at such and such a time, and 바카라사이트n what happened?¡¯¡± she said.

¡°Someone who has been through a traumatic event such as sexual assault doesn¡¯t have that linear memory¡­The part of 바카라사이트 brain that does 바카라사이트 linear recall is kind of offline when a traumatic event is happening.¡±

Dr Garcia added that universities can best prevent such incidents by educating 바카라사이트ir students and staff about sexual violence, healthy relationships and consent, although she admitted that this training needs to begin at primary school and continue throughout higher education.

She said that UCSF has recently launched an interactive website that features online courses on sexual health, positive relationships and sexual violence, which is free to access for students across 바카라사이트 world.

Meanwhile Princeton University has a one-week course for first-year students that involves 바카라사이트m watching a play and 바카라사이트n discussing in groups how 바카라사이트y would respond to various scenarios, including those involving sexual assault, Dr Garcia said.

¡°There needs to be continuous education on this,¡± she added.

¡°The science of sexual trauma and trauma in general is constantly evolving. As science evolves, universities need to be informed more as to how to be 바카라사이트 most supportive in order to facilitate victims¡¯ ability to heal and to be 바카라사이트 best...that 바카라사이트y can be during 바카라사이트ir time at university.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com