The University of Nottingham’s Sexual Misconduct Panel is Letting Rape Victims Down
By: Luwa Adebanjo
Tags: Rape, Healing From Trauma, Students, Change, University

University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham’s Sexual Misconduct Panel is Letting Rape Victims Down

Photo by Joanne Adela Low from Pexels

I never thought I would be writing this story, but here I am. 1 in 3 women. You see that statistic and you think: “That is horrible. I hope I don’t become a number.” You protect yourself as best as you can, walking home in pairs, keys clutched in between your fingers, memories of the music in the bar dancing through your mind. And it is still not enough. And when that moment comes, you are always utterly unprepared. Because it was not the monster in the shadows that was the threat all along. In the weeks that come next, you want to believe in a system that is meant to protect you, but that is not always the case.

I am a student at the University of Nottingham, and for the most part, I love my university to bits. Modern, mental health-focused, prestigious and encouraging with a beautiful campus. I have felt supported and looked after while at Nottingham. And when I joined the 1 in 3 women, I was ready for my university to support me the way they had before. Instead, when the Sexual Misconduct panel gave me 2 sentences. From an investigator. On a Microsoft Teams call.

To start with, I wasn’t aware the call was even going to be about the verdict. I got an email from a Conduct and Investigations Manager that simply said

“Hi Luwa do you have time to meet on teams. Regards”.

No mention that the investigation had closed, or that the meeting was important. That was why I got to hear the verdict alone without any support from my loved ones. I woke up sad, but ready to say my piece, ready to give my evidence to the investigator. Instead of a moment where I could have my voice heard, I was told flatly the investigation was over and it was ‘reasonable’ to assume I consented.

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This is my first complaint. Sexual misconduct is a traumatic event, and it helps to be supported afterwards. If I had known what the meeting was about, I would have then asked my friends to be with me to support me, and booked in a therapy session afterwards. A distinct feeling I got throughout the call was that since the panel had made their decision, everyone felt it was job done, time for tea now. It seemed no regards were taken as to how I would be feeling left in the dust while the system moved on to the next. I have no idea why it wouldn’t be policy to keep parties of sexual misconduct investigations informed and updated the whole way through, or at least offer the option. So, I took the call alone and received some pretty awful news, completely and utterly abandoned by the system meant to protect me.

To make matters worse, I had to chase updates throughout the process, making it confusing and stressful. Rather than simply asking me to provide relevant evidence, I was only informed that I could submit evidence, by what seems like a complete accident. After emailing for an update, the uni investigator sent a simple email:

“Hi Luwa I am currently reviewing the content of the mediation recording and seeking guidance from the sexual misconduct panel. I have also gathered social media content. Once I have an update I will contact you. Regards”.

I had to then email back asking what he meant by evidence. His reply came on the 9th of November:

“Hi Luwa if you forward any social media content that you believe would be relevant that would be helpful. Many thanks. Regards”.

I remember staring at the email in confusion for a minute or two, and thinking I was the one who asked for this investigation, why wasn’t I asked to provide my own evidence? Clearly, the other party had provided theirs and that was enough for the investigation. This was super distressing to hear and I decided to take some time to recover and send evidence later after I had finished the uni work I had to do that week.

I was given no deadline or more information than the two lines I quoted in this article. If I had known that two days later on the 11th, I would get an innocuous email about scheduling a call, I would have prioritized sending evidence over my uni work momentarily. Instead, the investigation ended without me knowing. I expected the video call with the investigator to be about the evidence I was planning to submit, instead, the video call was about a verdict received without my formal statement or extra evidence from me. I was told during the call if I wished to submit evidence, I could do so anyway and if it was relevant the investigator ‘would take another look’. I was left with the option of sending evidence after the investigation was closed, and given a couple of sentences of a verdict.

The sexual misconduct panel felt that it ‘may have been reasonable for the other party to think’ I was consenting and ‘they did not feel like that had enough evidence’ to go any further. That is okay. I am not writing this because I want to overturn that. Hearing this verdict was heartbreaking, but expected. The majority of rape cases don’t even see a day in court, let alone a guilty verdict, and that is in the legal system, let alone university investigations. It is hard for a case where things are clear cut, with a ‘perfect victim’, and I am no perfect victim. However, the way that this information was given to me was, in my opinion, inappropriate. There was no written email, or letter explaining further. In fact, there was no physical evidence of how the investigation ended at all. This allowed the other party in the case to start messaging my friends to inform them that I was ‘falsely accusing them’ and ‘spreading lies’ despite the fact I had not been. The investigation did not find out that I consented, or lied. But something in the way the news was delivered to the other party clearly was incorrect and I didn’t have any letter or proof to clear my name.

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One of the most horrifying parts of being the victim to sexual conduct is the lack of autonomy throughout it, your choices are taken away and you are made to feel powerless. Therefore, investigations to deal with these issues should go out of their way to empower victims and make sure they are comfortable. I feel that all parties in a sexual misconduct investigation should be told when the investigation starts, when statements are being taken, when evidence is being collected, and when it has finished being collected as well as being made aware of any deadlines before the investigation ends. I believe that regardless of what evidence is given in, all parties should be able to make a personal statement or given the option and given more than two days to submit evidence, especially at university where two days could be filled with lectures and work.

I believe that victims of sexual misconduct deserve better, especially from the institutions we trust. And deserve to be respected as human beings. What happened to me was horrible, and no person should have to go through it. I am so blessed to have an amazing support system I could call on during these weeks. I want to thank my friends and family for looking after me. I also want to thank the university staff who did support and encourage me, such as my sexual assault councillor and my personal tutor, who went above and beyond to help make sure this event didn’t ruin my academic year. Finally, I want to thank you! Thank you for reading this and allowing my voice and story to be finally heard.