Over 100 reports of sexual assault or harassment made to Irish universities

Trinity College yard in Dublin. Trinity College received 44 complaints alleging sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, harassment and intimidation or racism. It also received 14 complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault. File picture: iStock

More than 100 college students have reported allegations of sexual assault or harassment to education authorities in recent years, according to an Irish Examiner investigation.

Figures released under Freedom of Information reveal higher education institutions received at least 268 complaints from students alleging sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, harassment, intimidation or racism since September 2019.

Of those, 109 related specifically to sexual assault or harassment, showing sexual violence remains an ongoing issue across college campuses.

Several universities also received at least one complaint from a student regarding a staff member.

Information from some of the country’s universities shows:

• University College Cork received 44 allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, harassment and intimidation or racism to the university. Of this, 13 complaints related to sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations. Less than five of these relate to staff members.
• Trinity College received 44 complaints alleging sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, harassment and intimidation or racism. It also received 14 complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault. At least three of these allegations pertained to staff.
• University of Limerick received 22 formal complaints. Of these, six complaints related to bullying, harassment or sexual harassment. 16 other complaints related to physical assault, sexual assault, or engaging in conduct likely to bring the university into disrepute.

Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) director Clíona Saidléar said the number of formal complaints documented by universities is a “tiny tip of the iceberg” in terms of prevalence.

“I think there are plenty of barriers to reporting — you are tackling it on a number of fronts. 

Some of it is within the institution itself. Who do you report to? When you do report, what happens? Are the steps transparent?

 Student representatives who spoke to the Irish Examiner said student unions across the country are frequently dealing with the fallout from harassment or sexual violence.

“This is something that’s just everywhere,” said Trinity College Dublin students' union president Jenny Maguire.

“In every area of college life, there is assault. In every area of college life there is harassment. It just feels like it's as fundamental to college life as bringing in your laptop to a lecture and writing down notes.” 

Issues in the wider system when it comes to reporting sexual violence are often also evident in colleges, said University College Cork students’ union welfare officer Lecrecia Luna Smee.

“There is far too much red tape, far too much bureaucracy that’s placed on issues like sexual violence. 

It makes it so hard for victims to come forward, especially if it's a student trying to report a staff member because there are even less ways that a student can do that. It's definitely not just a local issue, it's a national issue. It's an issue in every college, in every higher education institution in the country.

 A spokeswoman for the Department of Further and Higher Education said the Government takes a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

“Higher education institutions are autonomous institutions but have a duty of care to ensure that staff and students have a safe environment to study and work, and that is free from bullying, harassment or other forms of unwanted behaviour,” she added.

A spokeswoman for the Higher Education Authority said 12 higher education institutions are currently collaborating on the development of a campaign to address sexual violence and harassment in higher education.

“The campaign will aim to increase awareness among students about the signs and consequences of gender-based violence and the importance of healthy relationships.

“The campaign is intended to be run later in the 2025-2026 academic year.”