Sexual violence at Australian universities: intersectionality in policy and practice

The diversity of student populations and the heightened risk/s for women students, sexuality and gender-diverse students, First Nations students, multicultural students, international students, and students with a disability, highlight the importance of intersectionality in university responses to sexual violence.

This paper analyses policy guidance and explores the framing of sexual violence within policies from 35 Australian universities, with respect to considerations of intersectionality. It also examines student perceptions of the inclusiveness of university policies via an anonymous online survey.

Although 91% of the policies used language that is inclusive of specific identity attributes, policy guidance fails to acknowledge the importance of intersectionality in addressing sexual violence or to recognise the structural and systemic inequalities that underpin sexual violence. Policy guidance also lacks sufficient information about cultural responsiveness and intersectional support, and these gaps translate to the policies examined. Student victim-survivors perceived policies as inconsistent with respect to inclusivity and sought more specific acknowledgement of vulnerable populations and diverse student needs.

Inclusive language broadens the framing of sexual violence, beyond a white, abled, heterosexual, cisgender norm, and can help all students to perceive their experiences as worthy of support. Failures to acknowledge and embed intersectionality and inclusivity within policy and practice can lead to harmful and enduring well-being, safety and human rights-based consequences, and compound systemic issues associated with sexual violence.