Social media users in Bournemouth responded to the shocking number of #metoo discussions on various media platforms.
The hashtag discussion began after allegations that Hollywood film giant Harvey Weinstein had been paying off sexual abuse accusations for decades. Social media users tagged #metoo to show solidarity for other victims of sexual abuse. The tag was mentioned over 100 times in Dorset on Twitter alone.
“Social media is often kind of frowned upon” said Charlie Sounter-Philips, VP of Bournemouth University Welfare. She said that it’s often viewed as “clicktivism”, but that in this case, the hashtag seems to be raising good awareness of the scale of the issue.
Increase in violent and sexual crime
Bournemouth violent and sexual crime rate was higher than other areas in the most recent www.police.uk statistics.
A series of assaults took place last year around the Boundary Road area, close to the BU’s Talbot Campus. Three women were pushed to the ground from behind in what the police described as sexually motivated attacks.
Student Union Safe Walk Scheme
The Student Union have taken an active role in ensuring the safety of students walking home in the area. The SUBU Safe Walk scheme was released on Facebook to enable students to organise to walk home in groups rather than on their own.
Additionally, training has been provided to both commercial and academic staff to spot the signs of sexual abuse as well as refer students on to deal with an assault.
Student Union elections take place for part-time representatives tomorrow and Ms Sounter-Philips said that the women’s representatives will be placing a high-priority on workshops about consent.