What is Sexual Misconduct?

Important to Remember

All of these behaviours are unacceptable. If this happens to you, it’s important to remember it is not your fault. If you have an experience which is not covered by these definitions, or you are unsure of the nature of your experience, we can support you. Please do contact us and seek support. 

An individual can experience sexual harassment from someone of the same or different gender identity or sexual orientation and the recipient of the behaviour decides whether or not it is unwanted. 

A person consents to a sexual interaction taking place if they agree by choice and have the freedom and capacity to make that choice.

Freedom to Consent

Consent is only valid if it is given freely. It is not present if someone submits due to:

• Exploitation of Power: When someone uses their authority or status (real or perceived) to take advantage of another.
• Coercion or Force: Using physical or emotional harm / or the threat of it, to make someone feel they must engage in a sexual act.
• Note on Resistance: Lack of "no" does not mean "yes." Consent is absent in these scenarios regardless of whether the person physically or verbally fought back.

Capacity to Consent

Capacity refers to a person's ability to understand and make a conscious decision. Consent is not present if a person is:

• Unaware: Asleep, unconscious, or in a state of "blacking out."
• Incapacitated: This can be due to mental/developmental disabilities or the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Signs of Incapacitation

You should recognise that someone lacks the capacity to consent if they exhibit:

• Physical signs: Slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, or an unsteady gait (stumbling).
• Cognitive signs: Unusual behaviour, lack of awareness of their surroundings, or an inability to communicate effectively.
• Loss of control: Lack of physical motor control or intermittent consciousness.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by sexual misconduct, it may be hard to know what to do or how to feel. That's okay.

What happened was not your fault, you're not alone, and what you do next will always be your choice. 

Are you in Immediate Danger?

You Report, We Support is not an emergency reporting tool. 

If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured:

• Contact the Emergency Services on 999

Alternatively, if you are on campus you can call

• On Campus Security: Lancaster 07809 190566, Carlisle 07809 190530, Ambleside 07809 190531

If you are Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, a Text Phone is available on: 18000

It Happened Recently- No Immediate Danger

It's completely up to you whether or not to report to the police. No one else can or should make that choice for you.

If you do report, a medical examination will usually be carried out to collect any forensic evidence. This is evidence that can be gathered through scientific tests, like DNA from hair or body fluids.

If you’re not sure yet whether you want to report to the police but think you might at some point, you can have a forensic medical examination at your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). Here, forensic evidence can be stored for future.

Here is a short video outlining the support available at a Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

If you do want forensic evidence to be collected, try and go to the SARC or police as soon as you can, and within 48 hours if possible. 

If you have you been raped, sexually assaulted or sexually abused recently, and you would like forensic evidence to be collected. Try not to:

• eat or drink
• smoke
• wash
• brush your teeth
• change your clothes
• clean up the place where it happened

This is to preserve as much evidence as possible. 
If you have already done some of these things, don't worry. There might still be forensic evidence to collect.
If you do decide to change your clothes, put the ones you were wearing in a clean plastic bag without washing them if you can.

 Use this tool, to find your nearest SARC. 

Your Health

It might be very difficult to think about straight away but if you've been raped or sexually assaulted by penetration, you could be at risk of sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) or pregnancy.

If you are not in immediate danger, currently feel safe from harm and do not need to report an emergency - then speaking to someone about your options is a great place to start. 

• Report an incident: If you submit a report with details, a member of the Student Services team will be in touch soon. Your report will not trigger a formal complaints process, and the advisor can confidentially speak to you about both your reporting and support options. You will never be forced to submit a report to the police, or a Formal Complaint to the University- as this is your choice. 

• Safeline: is a specialised charity working to prevent sexual abuse and to support those affected in their recovery. 

• National Domestic Violence Helpline:  Call them, 24-hours a day, for free and in confidence. You can also chat to them online throughout selected times.

• The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC): provides a national freephone support line for adults who have suffered any type of abuse in childhood. 

It is entirely within your right to formally report Sexual Misconduct. You can formally report something to the University and/or the police if it constitutes a criminal offence. 

• Report an Incident: If you submit a report with details, a member of the Student Services team will be in touch soon. Student Services advisors can help outline your formal reporting options, as well as describing what these processes might look like and what an investigation would entail.

We would strongly advise seeking the support of a Student Services Advisor if you wish to report something to the police. 

• Report Sexual Misconduct to the Police:  

If you’d like to report online, rather than speaking to an officer by telephone in the first instance, you can use their  online crime reporting service which is secure and confidential.

All reports made using this service are reviewed by our 24/7 contact centre within a few hours and an officer will get back to you in a maximum of two days (although usually quicker). 

If you’d like to talk to someone, the Police's national non-emergency telephone number is staffed 24/7. Call them on 101 and report what happened or just get some advice. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, use the textphone service on 18001 101. 

If you would like to speak to someone about how the incident(s) has emotionally affected you, or you would like to use some of the support services below for self-care, that is okay.

• Report an Incident: If you submit a report with details, a member of the Student Services team will be in touch soon. Please remember that submitting a report with details through Report and Support, means that someone will be able to personally talk you through your support options and tailor advice to your needs. You will never be forced to submit a formal report. 

• Wellbeing Support Services: The University’s dedicated wellbeing services can support you with practical and emotional issues impacting your wellbeing or mental health and aspects of University life, including referrals for counselling and psychology support.  

• Students’ Union: Is the SU's Advice Centre with expert staff who can provide support, advocacy and advice to students even if they do not wish to report. 

• Personal Tutors: If your studies have been affected by an incident, your personal tutor could help to explain your options with regards to academic support.

• Togetherall: Both students and staff can access the online community, which supports populations with their mental health and wellbeing – helping with feels of anxiety, depression, isolation and stress, to relationship problems and lifestyle challenges. Togetherall have a network of trained professionals providing 24/7 support around the world. 

It is okay not to want to do anything at this moment in time. It is entirely your choice. 
If you ever change your mind, just know these support pages will be here to help direct you towards whichever option you wish to pursue.