Space, Camera, Action! Sexual Image Based Abuse and University campus culture in England: A Case Study

Sexual Image Based Abuse, more commonly known as ‘revenge pornography’ has been a growing societal problem in recent years per se with the emergence of 21st century technology. Whilst the phenomenon is not unique to the UK the enactment of the Criminal Justice & Courts Act in 2015 which coincided with the development of the UK Universities taskforce in 2016 (which has a remit to address all forms of sexual violence and harassment in UK Universities) has created an opportune time to conduct research which seeks to investigate the ‘space and place’ of university campus culture and undergraduate students’ awareness around the phenomenon of ‘revenge pornography’.

To this end a staff and student led exploratory research study was undertaken at De Montfort University (DMU). The project comprised the collection of qualitative and quantitative data via a survey utilising a questionnaire with forty undergraduate degree students across all four faculties of the University.

This exploratory study has contributed to the University corporate project Mandala at DMU in terms of reflecting the University’s current situation regarding student perceptions of the prevalence of this phenomenon & whether students possess knowledge of both internal & external support which is available to them.

This research also benefits both the university as an organisation and student safety alongside modelling dignity & respect for the emotional well-being of the student community. In turn it should also increase staff knowledge & reap ‘community’ benefits in terms of contributing to policy & practice development in campus based Universities.
A main finding of the research was that ‘space and place’ is an important factor in understanding the mechanics and interplay of the commission of SIBA on University campus based establishments.