Content note: This story contains references to sexual assault and rape, and descriptions of post traumatic stress disorder.
A student, who we will call Sarah, spoke to The Cheese Grater about her experience navigating sexual violence support at UCL.
Sarah told The Cheese Grater she was raped by a coursemate during her first year. She described UCL as being proactive following the initial report, but characterised this support as short-lived.
She recounted having to approach UCL a second time as “he would deliberately sit in front or incredibly close to me during lectures, despite the fact that the room when he entered was empty”.
Sarah expressed disappointment in the quality of UCL’s support. She described feeling hopeless, telling The Cheese Grater: “The response was pretty much ‘there isn’t much that can be done.’ Fine, I just had to put up with it”.
She said she was presented with two options by UCL: to apply for academic adjustments or to make a formal report to the University and the police.
Only 2.6% of rape offences in the UK for the year ending March 2024 were assigned a charge/summons outcome, i.e., only about 1 in 40 reported incidents of rape made it to court in that year. Concerned about having to undergo a lengthy and tormenting legal process which was unlikely to result in a conviction, Sarah chose to go down the academic adjustment route.
She noted, however, that her concerns were not accounted for adequately in the timetabling system; following a clash in her timetable, Sarah was notified that he would be put in the same seminar group as her. As a result of UCL scheduling, Sarah would be placed in the same small class of “less than ten people” as her alleged rapist.
She immediately reached out to UCL again, emphasising her PTSD diagnosis, and how “the extent of my trauma would seriously impact my ability to share a class with him”.
UCL reportedly responded by suggesting that she either miss the lecture on her dissertation to go to a different seminar — which largely consisted of a Q&A session to discuss dissertations — or attend the seminar with him.
“I was very concerned, and had to weigh up whether I sacrifice my learning for the sake of my mental health, or my mental health for the sake of my learning.”
Sarah was also told that she could take classes online instead of attending in-person, where she claims her alleged rapist was not asked to do the same.
“It was insulting — again, I am being asked to sacrifice my education, my social life, my university experience, on top of all of the trauma I suffered”.
Sarah was devastated with UCL’s lack of support: “It is absolutely wild to me that someone who was raped would be expected to sit in a room of less than ten people with their rapist”.
She told The Cheese Grater she felt like UCL could and should have done more to help her following this traumatic experience.
Sarah emphasised the bureaucratic realities of reporting rape. She said UCL must adequately account for how remarkably low conviction rates for rape offences remain, and “consider new ways for survivors to be listened to”.
She felt because she chose not to lodge a formal report — a decision that many survivors make due to the often retraumatising nature of administrative and legal proceedings — the options available to her were limited. She called for better security support for students who choose not to report their abusers.
“It felt like psychological torture. For three years you must regularly look your rapist in the face, smell his cologne, have him relentlessly pursue you, sit near you, attend your events and achievements.”
“It felt like I was being punished for being raped.”
Sarah made it clear to UCL that she had developed PTSD from the trauma she had experienced. She suggested to The Cheese Grater this was exacerbated by how poorly she felt UCL dealt with the situation.
She described feeling unable to move past the event: “My life was essentially a constant state of fight or flight for the good part of three years.”
“I cannot quite put it into words, and I think most people will never truly understand it, of which I am glad because no one should have to experience fear on that level. It was complete and paralyzing.”
“Before I walked into the same lecture as him it would feel like the blood left my body, my throat would close up and I would feel like I was going to faint.”
She explained: “I cannot put into words the fear. There is no way to describe it, in all honesty. I’ve never experienced anything like it, it is almost a primal feeling. It’s like I felt as if I was going to die — it’s that inherent survival response. My nervous system was on fire.”
“I couldn’t work or focus or live properly because essentially my fear consumed me.”
In conversation with Enough
The Cheese Grater also spoke to Katie White, the co-founder of the anti-rape nonprofit Enough, about the quality of support for sexual violence survivors at UCL.
White said: “I’m just consistently disappointed when I hear stories, testimonies from people who have been assaulted and raped at university and how they are made to feel like they’re the issue, rather than everything possible being done to make their experience as good as it can be from now.”
UCL and the Union have committed to measures to prevent sexual violence on campus, such as the recent introduction of Sexual Violence Liaison Officers. The efficacy of these measures in preventing sexual violence at the University are yet to be seen, especially given the 7% increase in reported sexual violence cases on campus in 2024-25.
White said: “The most important thing that all universities need to be from now is brave. This isn’t a tick box exercise. This is an opportunity to genuinely change students’ lives for the rest of their lives”
Sarah’s story is only one of the 52,000 students on campus
In the last year, sexual violence cases reported at UCL have risen by 7%. Two high-profile cases involving UCL have gained significant media attention recently.
One involved serial rapist Zhenhao Zou, who, according to the lead investigator on the case “may turn out to be one of the most prolific sexual predators that we’ve ever seen in this country”. The other is the story of 19-year-old Edward Cones, who was tragically found dead in a hotel room in Kings Cross 48 hours after arriving at UCL. Examinations found GHB (also known as the “date rape drug”) in his system. UCL are yet to release an official statement acknowledging Cones’ death.
Where do we go from here?
In their statement on Zhenhao Zou, UCL said: “We invest significantly in specialised teams available for students, alumni, and staff to access expert support.”
White told The Cheese Grater: “We should instead be saying, what do [survivors] want? And let’s build that.”
Sarah’s story highlights the need for more robust survivor-led support, so students don’t feel forced into a room with their rapist, as well as stronger preventative measures.
In the concluding portion of her interview, Sarah powerfully articulated: “This is not a petty issue, this is an epidemic at the University and it needs to be stemmed. This means a serious policy review.
“I do not say this out of hate, hurt or resentment. I loved my time at UCL, amongst all the pain it truly was one of the best times of my life.
“It is such a wonderful place and I want it to be even better, so people like me can enjoy their experiences fully, with all the fun without the pain and fear.
“I am grateful for the kindness of the individuals at the University who helped me. I do not at all blame them or hold them responsible for what I view as a wider university-wide failure of policy.”
Denise Long, UCL’s Director of Student Support & Wellbeing, said: “We are committed to tackling incidents of sexual violence and misconduct and ensuring all students who experience sexual violence receive compassionate and expert
trauma-informed support. We are sorry one of our students did not feel supported and we will with care and sensitivity look into the specifics of this case.
“We have staff across our support and casework services specially trained to help guide students through their options confidentially and without judgement. They will liaise and help navigate any internal or external services and systems and provide access to the right resources, support and information. Dedicated Independent Sexual Violence Advisers are available to support students whether they choose to pursue a formal report or not.
“We also have a longstanding relationship with Rape Crisis, which offers specialist support to any of our students affected by sexual violence. That is not contingent on, and is completely independent of, any formal or informal investigatory process.
“Our students’ union have launched a Sexual Violence Liaison Officers service in their Harm and Prevention Team, which gives our students more options and access to specialist support. They also deliver an Active Bystanders programme, which offers training in how to recognise and challenge bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct. Since the launch of this programme, they have trained more than 50,000 students. It is the largest of its kind in the higher-education sector and became mandatory last September.”
If you have been affected by sexual violence, support is available.
Rape Crisis offer a 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line. Call them on 0808 500 2222 or start an online chat.
Into the Light offer support, counselling and additional resources to survivors of sexual abuse or someone who supports a survivor, based in London.
Students’ Union UCL’s Sexual Violence Liaison Officer service aims to provide “more options and greater access to support, whether what happened was recent, in the past, on campus or off campus”.
From the writer: UCL must act to prevent sexual violence. The time for talking is over.
In this story, I was only able to capture the experience of one individual on campus. UCL is a university of over 52,000 students.
How many other students have had similar experiences of sexual violence on campus who have been similarly neglected?
1 in 4 women and 1 in 18 men experience sexual assault or rape. In light of these statistics, there must be so many more students on campus with stories untold. Therefore, I argue UCL isn’t doing enough to prevent sexual violence.
Many simple measures could be put in place to decrease the numbers of sexual violence on campus, things as simple as offering drink covers in Union bars, and at Sports Night. It’s unbelievable to me that a university as large and as high-ranking as UCL is failing its students so drastically.
Sarah felt as though she was being punished for being raped, an already horrendous, life-changing event. Punished by the university that should be accommodating to her needs.
The treatment she faced, of disregarding her experiences and arguably accommodating her rapist, is baffling. What message is this sending to the young adults joining us at what’s meant to be a welcoming, safe university?
UCL must act to prevent sexual violence, the time for talking is over.