The University of Otago is disciplining more students over sexual misconduct, which it believes might be caused by changes making victims more comfortable coming forward. The sexual misconduct cases dealt with by the university last year included:- A third-year student making and disseminating an intimate visual recording. While the overall number of cases remained small, before 2018 the university dealt with very few allegations of sexual misconduct. He speculated this was down to Te Whare Tawharau providing ‘‘survivors of sexual offending a safe and supportive pathway for seeking assistance and justice’’. Te Whare Tawharau academic director Melanie Beres said apart from the establishment of the drop-in centre, the ‘‘small rise’’ could also be due to increasing awareness of sexual misconduct on campus.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 27, 2020 14:26 UTC