BREAKING: Warwick’s Report and Support have published an annual report for years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021

The University of Warwick has published a report on the Report and Support services for the academic years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.

The report is the first to investigate data concerning the Warwick Report and Support services, and has released key information concerning issues of sexual harassment and misconduct on campus.

The report highlighted the number of students who had reported a ‘disclosure’ through the service. Different to a formal complaint, a disclosure is reported if a student has witnessed, heard about, or experienced sexual misconduct or harassment. If a student decides to take this ‘disclosure’ further, it will then be addressed as a formal complaint by the University.

It is overwhelmingly clear from the published report that there has been a sharp increase in the number of disclosures reported by students through the service, with 321 students having disclosed information in 2020/21 academic year compared to 81 students in 2019/2020. 

The report also published information on the number of sexual harassment disclosures reported, with over 126 sexual misconduct disclosures reported in 2020/2021 compared to 50 in 2019/2020.

The University of Warwick announced that the Report and Support system has been given 35K in funding, and added that 95 hours of training for staff and students has been conducted.

The report shows a sharp increase in the number of disclosures compared to the previous year. This is a concern, but it’s important to understand the context to them.

–Stuart Croft

Stuart Croft, the University of Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor commented on the published reported, saying: “It should be a given that everyone feels safe and valued at Warwick. But sadly, that’s not the case for everyone. We would be naive to think discrimination, bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct do not happen here – because they do, just like they do in wider society.

“We can’t ignore or hide away from some of the uncomfortable aspects of life, which is why we believe it’s important to be open, honest, and transparent with our community so we can address these issues together.”

He added: “We are committed to doing all we can to stamp out any form of unacceptable behaviour. That’s why we are sharing the findings of our first annual report for our online disclosure platform Report and Support, which is where members of our community report concerns to us on issues such as sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination so that they can get the help they need.

“We are one of the first universities in the country to take this step, and we’re committed to sharing these findings with you every year.

“The report shows a sharp increase in the number of disclosures compared to the previous year. This is a concern, but it’s important to understand the context to them.

“We extended the Report and Support service last year to include a range of other complaints, including harassment, bullying, discrimination and staff disclosures – meaning there is a wider range of issues that people can report.

“We have been working to raise awareness of the service and build confidence in it within our community. We believe the fact more people are using the service and reporting disclosures shows that there is increased awareness of Report and Support and that it is a service that is trusted. This is something we must now work hard to maintain.”