Two days before her 19th birthday, Laura Wilkinson* went out clubbing with her friends and woke up in a stranger's bed.

'I was covered in bruises,' she tells ELLE UK. 'I felt really funny. I was sore…everywhere. I didn't remember anything. I kept telling myself that maybe it was just a one night stand, but I'd never had a one night stand before. I knew I'd been raped.'

The next morning Wilkinson – now 22 – visited the doctor for the morning after pill and a drugs test – she believed her drink had been spiked. According to the NHS, most drugs leave the body within 72 hours of being taken (the date rape drug GHB leaves the body within 12 hours), so it's important to be tested as soon as possible.

A first-year at Bristol University, she went to the student health centre but was told they didn't have the 'funding' to test for drugs. For that, she'd need to go to the police.

But, as Wilkinson explains, 'I wasn't ready to go to the police. I was very shaken up. I was kind of emotionless.'

The next day she did ring the police, but didn't receive a proper examination for another couple of days. The police called the perpetrator in for questioning, but after three months, the case was dropped - there wasn't enough evidence to take it to court.

'I still had the bruises, and my story, but by then, it was too late,' she explains.

The stranger turned out to be another university student in the same year, and in the same faculty as Wilkinson, so they often crossed paths.

'That's the hardest part - seeing him about,' she says. 'I'm constantly on edge and he's not - how can that be fair?'

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Sadly, Wilkinson's experience is far from unique. Revolt Sexual Assault, a London-based charity, launched a national survey into student's experiences of sexual assault (in partnership with the Student Room). The results are in and indicate a much larger problem than currently being reported.

Of the 4,500 students (from 153 different institutions) that took part, 62% had experienced sexual violence. This figure rises to 70% if you focus just on female students, and 73% of respondents with a disability.

'While at university I experienced everything from harassment and 'casual' groping to rape, none of which I reported – and I am not alone,' explains Hannah Price, who founded the Revolt campaign while studying at Bristol University.

Sick of the victim-blaming and 'normalisation' of sexual assault she witnessed every day, Price decided to do something about it. The aim was to 'bridge the gap between institutions and student survivors' so that the problem could be acknowledged and addressed.

What started as a Snapchat video campaign – students shared experiences of sexual assault and harassment using voice and facial filters for anonymity – has now turned into national deep-dive into unreported sexual misconduct throughout UK universities.

Mirroring Price's own experiences, only 10% of respondents reported their experiences of sexual violence to anyone. When asked to explain further, 56% of students were convinced it 'wasn't serious enough', 35% felt too ashamed and 29% didn't even know how to make a report to the university.

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Revolt Sexual Assault

In over half the cases (57%) the student knew the perpetrator, which is tough to deal with in any situation but makes you particularly vulnerable in the university bubble. Price talks about one student who left her door unlocked and her flatmate's boyfriend climbed into bed and started assaulting her. If you're still living with your rapist in shared halls or you attend the same lectures, it's a toss up between 'causing a fuss' or burying what happened and getting on with your life.

As one student wrote: 'I figured out that I had the emotional strength to do one of two things: I could pursue a complaint against my rapist, or I could finish my degree.

She chose the latter but has still not properly recovered: 'I think about it literally every day. I am still so angry.'

Wilkinson bumped into the man who raped her several times a week. On numerous occasions, she asked the university to step in. During exam period, for example, they'd been placed in the same exam hall. The university couldn't ensure that never happened again, so it was down to Wilkinson to check the seating plan each time.

'I have to call up admin, explain what happened and ask if they can move me. They're always understanding but I shouldn't have to tell them again and again,' she explains. 'I really love Bristol and it's a great place, and I'm someone that respects authority, so to have the police and the university essentially say to me 'we don't believe you'...' she breaks off.

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Many students who replied to the survey felt like they had no support. Wilkinson says she felt 'very much' on her own, while another student wrote: 'My university failed me entirely when I reported my sexual assault, and it was brushed under the carpet. I didn't bother reporting the second incident.'

Bristol University, however, said they have a 'zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment or violence of any form' and have clear policies in place. This includes making a formal complaint about another student (or member of staff) through their Acceptable Behaviour Policy or students are encouraged to report a crime straight to the Police or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).

A spokesperson also said they'll be introducing a new online Report and Support Tool for survivors of sexual violence and other forms of harassment. Though plans have been delayed, they're aiming for an April 2018 launch date.

Either way, it's clear too many sexual assaults go unreported on campus. The numbers simply don't add up. Bristol say they are 'aware that sexual harassment is a significant issue' and that they have a 'responsibility to take action to safeguard our students' wherever possible, yet three cases of sexual assault were handled under the University's Student Disciplinary Regulations during the 2016/17 academic year.

The first day Price invited students to record their testimonies via Snapchat, at least 15 people turned up.

It's not, however, just Bristol dealing with the problem. As the survey shows, this is a nationwide issue, yet there is no uniform way of reporting sexual assault across the UK's universities. Which means while one student might have a relatively stress free experience, others, like Wilkinson, are made to feel like criminals. Of those who reported their experience of sexual violence to the university, only 26% were satisfied with the process.

To help, Price is calling for an 'enforced and consistent standard of care' that is implemented across the higher education sector.

'Universities need a reporting system that minimises the distress caused to students; carried out by disclosure trained members of staff,' she says. 'It is not good enough that the same policies, and disciplinary procedures, used for plagiarism are often applied to students reporting rape - specific policies for sexual violence on campus need to be developed. All of which needs to be easily accessible and publicised, so vulnerable students know where they can seek help.'

But it's also about changing attitudes. Only half of people who replied to the survey believed there was an understanding of what constitutes consent at their university. One student in her Snapchat testimony explained that the man who proceeded to assault her said: 'It's not rape, you want this.'

And it's something Price heard in the testimonies over and over again.

'Every story featured some kind of 'oh it was probably my fault' or 'if I told someone they'd ask whether I'd been drinking?' she says. 'A lot of people still don't understand that certain behaviour constitutes rape, that it isn't okay and isn't your fault.'

*Names have been changed

Those affected by rape or sexual abuse can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 (England and Wales) or on 08088 01 03 02 (Scotland).

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Louise Donovan
Deputy Digital Editor
Louise Donovan is the Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE UK, with a focus on international women's rights, global development and human interest stories. She's reported from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.