Last week the Sunday Herald revealed the scandal of sex attacks at Scotland’s college and university campuses.
Brave survivors spoke out about harassment and assault at the hands of predatory students and staff.
This newspaper also uncovered statistics obtained following a series of Freedom of Information requests which revealed extreme under reporting of incidents.
The Scottish Government has now acted after a hard-fought campaign by the family of Emily Drouet, a teenage student who took her own life on campus after she was abused by a fellow student.
The minister for further and higher education Shirley-Anne Somerville has revealed today that a toolkit will now be supplied to every institution in a bid to change the culture of sexual violence.
Colleges and universities have been warned by Somerville they must offer better support to students and record sexual misconduct statistics or face funding cuts.
This is a huge policy shift which should rightly be welcomed, but as charities have underlined, it is only the beginning.
Colleges and universities must now rise to the challenge set by the minister so that no other family has to suffer the pain endured by Emily Drouet and her family.
Institutions are privately concerned about the costs of rolling out this policy change, but you cannot put a price on the safety of young students.
Time’s up on the rape culture on campus. We must ensure women can study and socialise at Scotland’s colleges and universities without the spectre of gender based violence.
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