Fight for services and democratic control, against sexism and capitalism
Mihaela Ivanova, Queen Mary Socialist Students
A recent survey by the Office for Students (OfS) found that one in three women had experienced sexual harassment during their time at university, nearly one in five experiencing sexual assault, with 40% occurring within the university environment.
Unfortunately, these horrific statistics are not surprising for many people. Despite the wave of global protests against sexism and sexual harassment, most notably during the #MeToo movement, little action has been taken to address the issues which disproportionately affect young students and women.
These statistics come amidst 15 years of austerity, which has seen funding from vital public services cut, such as to nighttime public transport, counselling services, campus lighting and domestic violence services.
The fact that only 13% of students who experienced harassment in the past 12 months reported it to their university or college, shows that there is not enough being done to prevent such attacks or help students feel safe and supported on campus.
Instead of providing the funding necessary to fight against these attacks on students, university bosses have raked in millions in bonuses and Starmer’s Labour has increased our tuition fees.
Over half of students take on paid employment to be able to survive through uni, with the highest maintenance loans unable to cover basic necessities like housing, transport or food. This puts vulnerable young people in even more precarious positions, with students often having to travel home late at night with insufficient public transport and infrastructure, like street lighting.
We cannot trust greedy university bosses who line their pockets with our tuition fees and a Labour government which has made it clear it does not represent young people. Students must fight back to guarantee our safety ourselves. Student unions should link up with trade unions on campus to campaign against sexual harassment in schools, colleges and universities.
Disciplinary procedures should not be left in the hands of management who clearly cannot handle our education or our safety. Part of the campaigning should involve building for democratically elected committees of students and staff to be in charge of investigating reports of sexism and sexual violence on campus, ensuring that the processes are effectively implemented and accessible to those who need them. Instead of our places of education being treated like businesses, students and staff should have democratic control.
Socialist Students has initiated the Funding not Fees campaign to build a movement for fully funded, free education – paid for by taking the wealth out the hands of the super-rich. We fight for the scrapping of tuition fees, for maintenance grants – not loans, and the democratic control of our resources. And we fight for a socialist alternative to the capitalist system which perpetuates sexism and misogyny.
This is necessary as part of the fight for a future in which society and our places of education are a safe and accessible place for all.
