SINGAPORE, Aug 29 — The National University of Singapore (NUS) has set up a Victim Care Unit (VCU) to help students who have encountered some form of sexual misconduct, it said today.
The move is the latest in a series of measures implemented by NUS to ramp up campus safety and support for victims of sexual misconduct, after the issue became a topic of national discussion in April, when undergraduate Monica Baey made a series of social media posts about being filmed while showering and they went viral.
In a circular to students, Senior Deputy President and Provost Professor Ho Teck Hua said the VCU “offers a safe space for victims to seek support from a team of trained professionals who are experienced in working with victims of sexual misconduct”.
In a news release posted on its website, NUS added that victims can choose to seek help from the VCU “regardless of who the perpetrators are or where the incidents happen”. This includes incidents that happened “off-campus, in a different country or in the past”.
Victims who need support can seek help from the VCU through several channels: A 24-hour hotline, a confidential online contact form or by email. They will then be connected to a designated care officer who will provide them with the resources that they require.
Care officers can also liaise with other units or agencies or refer them to counsellors should the victims need additional support, the statement said.
The VCU is headed by associate professor Dr Sandy Lim, who Professor Ho said has experience tackling issues of sexual misconduct in her current work at the NUS Business School’s Department of Management and Organisation. She was previously a field psychologist at the Ministry of Defence, where she helped with providing psychological support to agencies in crisis and national emergencies.
According to the NUS website, the VCU team is made up of five staff members, including care officers and administrative and research staff.
“These care officers were specially chosen for their experience in helping victims from multiple backgrounds, varying ethnicities, identities and orientations. They also have experience as counsellors, and working with the police,” the website said.
Students welcome VCU, but say effectiveness yet to be seen
Undergraduate law student Tay, 21, said she was glad that NUS recognises that victim care is as important as raising the penalties against perpetrators of sexual misconduct.
Earlier in June, NUS announced tougher penalties on those who commit sexual misconduct on campus. Among the new penalties are a minimum one-year suspension and immediate expulsion in severe cases.
Still, Tay said it remains to be seen whether the VCU has enough manpower and resources to support potential victims. She declined to give her full name as she is worried about repercussions from the university for speaking to the media.
“Given that it’s a new initiative, we have yet to see how this will be implemented within NUS. Based on the information provided, there are five staff members. I hope NUS will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly if there is high demand by such students”.
Fellow NUS student P Lim, 21, shared these concerns, saying that whether the VCU is effective depends on how it acts once a victim reaches out to them.
“Will the victim get the necessary treatment immediately, such as counselling or sexual assault kits? And will they be coached through the gruelling trial process when they have to face the police or authorities at NUS?” she said. — TODAY
