Ending Sexual Violence on Campus: The Power of Student Activism
Student activists can help challenge sexual harassment and sexual violence on campus. Our Streets Now volunteer Chloe Schneider shares lessons from campaigning - and a free toolkit to help students create change.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Why Change Is Needed
In 2025, research by the Office for Students found that 24.5% of university students had experienced sexual harassment since starting higher education, and one in seven students has reported experiencing sexual assault.
We often hear about these statistics of sexual violence at Universities, yet no one knows more about this than the student activists and survivors themselves. These young changemakers are putting in time and energy to support survivors and challenge university structures to provide better support and prevention, all whilst completing their degrees.
Why I Became a Student Activist
A few years ago I was one of these student activists. I was spurred to channel my rage into activism, as by the end of my first year of university I had experienced and seen these high levels of sexual violence first-hand, and I realised that I needed to do something. As an angry and motivated 19 year old I started my activist journey and co-founded a university society focused on supporting survivors and tackling sexual harassment and assault.
The Challenges Facing Student Campaigners
It didn't take long before we encountered hurdles most student activists are familiar with. The issues we faced included hierarchical, outdated governance structures that did not want to accept their culpability, limited funding, and our lack of campaigning experience. While these challenges created a steep learning curve, they did not stop us from continuing to campaign and organise. We established weekly tea and chat sessions, held several successful events, and distributed hundreds of posters and leaflets, which led to a positive increase in our publicity.
How Student Activism Can Change University Culture
Eventually, we began noticing changes in the culture at our University. They hired a harassment and misconduct team; those in power began acknowledging the work we were doing, and what made me most proud was that students came up to us to share that our campaigning had helped them understand what had happened to them and access support.
These experiences reminded me of the key reason we set up the organisation: to help students feel less alone and access clear support and reporting mechanisms.
Advice for Students Taking Action Against Sexual Harassment
Being an activist at university can be challenging; you are balancing university work, often a part-time job, and equally having to understand and challenge powerful, complex organisations. But don’t let this put you off - I would encourage students to fight for what they care about and continue to engage in activism.
We need passionate young people to hold systems to account and drive change, and activism brings so much joy and community, and it lets you build skills you wouldn’t otherwise be able to.
I now volunteer at Our Streets Now, a UK charity made up of young changemakers who truly want to support student activists, which is why they created the Higher Education Changemaker Toolkit.
Download the Free Higher Education Changemaker Toolkit
The toolkit includes all the information I wish I'd had before starting as a student activist at my university, including:
Inspiration for strategic approaches
Insights from seasoned campaigners (including me)
Guidance on being an intersectional campaigner
Creative campaigning ideas
This student campaigning guide will help you build your skills and knowledge so you feel more confident, inspired, and able to create the change you want to see.
Getting involved
Explore Our Streets Now’s higher education work or contact our team to find out about workshops and training for your university or students’ union.
