New survey seeks to spotlight scope of sex abuse, harassment among UH students

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - One in 5 University of Hawaii students report experiencing dating or domestic violence, and 1 in 10 say they’ve been the victims of sexual harassment or stalking.

That’s according to a new system-wide survey conducted by the institution.

More than 6,300 students participated in the survey, which the report’s authors say is representative of the the UH student population as a whole.

The survey found increases in sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking and dating and domestic violence from 2017, the last year the poll was conducted.

But the majority of UH students said they felt safe on campus.

University of Hawaii officials say the survey is aimed at putting a spotlight on the scope of sex abuse and harassment among students, and note that UH compares favorably to other institutions.

“This is part of our effort to actualize our commitment to addressing sexual harassment, sex discrimination and creating discrimination-free learning ... conditions,” said UH President David Lassner.

In the survey, about 10% of students said they had experienced stalking. The figure was 14% at UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo.

Most victims identified their stalker as another UH student.

Meanwhile, about 7% said they’d been the victims of sexual assault. And 21% of students said they’d been victims of dating and domestic violence.

Some 13% of UH students reported being sexually harassed at some point during their academic careers at the university.

Of those who reported sexual harassment, about 30% said their offenders were UH faculty or staff members.

The full survey is below:

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