We are raising money for legal support to force UK universities to take staff sexual misconduct seriously.

The failures of UK universities to confront staff sexual misconduct and sexual violence are well documented. Many victims, overwhelmingly women, have experienced first-hand the lack of support for victims, absence of robust reporting procedures and inadequate policies and investigation procedures currently in place.

We are starting this crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for an ongoing case at a prominent UK university. This is a collective action involving several women, all in the early stages of their careers. As the case is ongoing, we must remain anonymous. In this instance, the university has known about multiple incidents of sexual misconduct by a permanent staff member since late 2019 (in relation to current and former students and staff), and only began an investigation following action from a solicitor acting pro bono in spring 2021. That pro bono assistance is no longer available to the complainants, hence this campaign. We believe that legal support will be critical in ensuring that the university does the right thing.

We have already held preliminary discussions with a barrister who has given us a rough estimate of £8,000 + VAT (£9,600 in total) for the support we may need during the internal process.  This includes review of documents; advice on the law; correspondence and meetings.

Please support our campaign. We hope that this case will not only make a difference at the institution in question, but will help set a precedent for larger-scale change across UK higher education. We are committed to continuing the struggle across the sector. Together we can make a change.

For more information on what needs to change to address problems relating to sexual misconduct in higher education, please visit The 1752 Group website: https://1752group.com/.

Image credit: Lauren Mitchell (https://curiouslauren.com/)