Thursdays in Black and the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) are pleased to announce the commencement of the Thursdays in Black Students’ Survey 2016.
Thursdays in Black is a nationwide campaign run by NZUSA in conjunction with Tertiary Women New Zealand (TWNZ) and student and campus groups across New Zealand, which aims to create educational environments where all students can be safe.
In order to better understand how sexual harassment and sexual violence manifests in student communities, the Students’ Survey 2016 asks current and former tertiary education students to discuss their experiences while enrolled in higher education. The survey will also identify current gaps in education for young people to inform future programmes aimed at reducing victimisation of students in the communities where they live, work, and study.
“This survey is a unique opportunity for us to better understand how and why violence happens in student communities. Responses to this survey will allow us to produce programmes that will work to create environments where all students are able to pursue their academic, working and social lives free from violence,” says Izzy O’Neill, National Coordinator of Thursdays in Black.
“Research into the impact of sexual harassment and sexual violence in higher education in New Zealand is remarkably lacking. This is a real opportunity for people to tell their stories to help create positive and meaningful change for future tertiary education students.”
“A special part of the survey is that it has been designed with students, for students and we’ve been working with survivors, for survivors on this survey to give students a real, genuine opportunity to talk about their experiences. Additionally, the survey includes sections designed specifically for our LGBTQIA+ communities and for people with disabilities.”
“This survey intends to understand the situations where violence in student communities occur. It is not about prevalence per institution, it is about the context and nature of sexual violence. Survey findings help to paint a picture of what violence looks like in our diverse student communities and its particular nature and patterns.”
“I would encourage all current and former students to take part in the survey, regardless of their experiences. By participating in this survey, students are helping us shape the future of prevention initiatives in the tertiary sector and moving towards students having a tertiary experience free from violence ” Ms O’Neill says.
The survey will be open from 9am on Monday 26 September until 5pm on Sunday 23 October. It has been designed to ensure all responses are anonymous and no identifiable information will be collected with survey responses.
Upon completion of the survey, Thursdays in Black will publish a report summarising trends and outlining planned programme developments. This report will be released by early November 2016.
