By Laura Harmon, The Irish Times, Ireland- In Ireland, like in many countries, we haven’t got the best track record when it comes to sex education. There are also many issues to be tackled in our society when it comes to sexual violence. As the nation begins to come to terms with and address the history of child abuse that occurred here, we should also turn our attentions to how adults treat one another.
In 2013, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) published the Say Something Study – the first study of third-level students’ experiences in Ireland on harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault. Over 2,750 students of all genders responded. The study was supported by Cosc – the National Office for the Prevention of Sexual, Domestic and Gender-Based Violence – and the Department of Justice and Equality.
The study found 16 per cent of respondents experienced some form of unwanted sexual experience during their time as a student at their current higher education institution.
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