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Short, Emma and Barnes, James (2023) Stalking in universities: responding effectively as an institution while prioritising the safety of victims. In: Cyberbullying and Online Harms Preventions and Interventions from Community to Campus. Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group, London, pp. 117-129. ISBN 9781003258605
Young people make up the largest proportion of university students, and it is this group of people who are likely to be most at risk of sexual harassment and violent crime. The prevalence of stalking victimisation is also likely to be elevated. Indeed, an FOI request made to universities by the Unfollow me campaign, revealed that 381 students had made allegations of stalking or domestic abuse between 2015 and 2018. In 40% of those cases, the person who was accused of stalking and the person making the allegation studied at the same university (Vice, 2019).
This chapter introduces and describes the crime of stalking and the migration of many behaviours to online platforms. This context is necessary as recognising the escalation of harassment to stalking remains challenging despite frequent awareness campaigns. It will discuss the various legislation available to deal with stalking and harassment. The nature of stalking and the considerable risks it presents will be outlined and comparisons made between the reported experiences of university students and the general population. Given the pernicious nature of cyberstalking behaviours, such as surveillance, hacking, image-based sexual attacks and threats of harm, we focus on the responsibility of educational institutions to avoid unnecessary risks and harm to individuals, and the necessity of supporting access to skilled support and justice for individuals who have been victimised.
The Statement of Expectations published by the Office for Students calls for the implementation of more effective systems, policies and processes to prevent and respond to incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct, stalking is included under this definition. Access to appropriate and effective support is a key principle in this statement. The necessity of adopting existing UUK guidelines to create a culture where such behaviours are highlighted as high risk and associated preventive education is also evident.
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