{"id":486,"date":"2025-05-23T10:31:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T09:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theoptimistmagazine.co.uk\/?p=486"},"modified":"2025-06-06T16:31:50","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:31:50","slug":"academics-against-assault-tackling-rape-culture-one-campus-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/theoptimist\/2025\/05\/23\/academics-against-assault-tackling-rape-culture-one-campus-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Academics Against Assault: Shaping safer spaces for all"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Molly Hanning couldn\u2019t find the support she needed, she built it herself. Now Academics Against Assault fights for better consent education, stronger support systems, and a future where no university student feels alone. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under UK law, anyone who alleges they are a victim of sexual assault are granted lifelong anonymity, but to ensure her story is heard, Molly Hanning has chosen to waive that right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was raped in my first year of University,\u201d Molly shares. \u201cI really struggled to navigate support systems and things like that in my second. And then I saw all the stats of those affected and it really opened my eyes to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research done by Revolt Sexual Assault, 62% of university students and recent graduates have faced some form of sexual assault during their time at university. It\u2019s a statistic that Molly refuses to ignore.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After deciding not to pursue legal action, she spent time lobbying for better awareness on her own. But eventually, she came to one conclusion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf nobody else is going to be the change, I\u2019m gonna have to be the one that steps up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determined to create the kind of support she wished had existed, Molly founded Academics Against Assault <\/em>(AAA) in her second year at Royal Holloway – turning her experience into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sets Academics Against Assault apart from similar campaigns is its emphasis on education and prevention. Whilst supporting victims remains a key focus, its main mission is to tackle the issue at its root – through rape culture workshops, consent education, and lobbying for mandatory preventative measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Discussion table at an AAA seminar<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like when people look at sexual violence, they don\u2019t necessarily see it as something they can change,\u201d Molly says. \u201cBut we believe we can – at least on our own university campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, the response from Royal Holloway has been overwhelmingly positive, as AAA fills a gap that Molly believes the university has long overlooked. From meetings with the principal to working directly with the SU, AAA has truly made its mark on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people break down in tears, telling me they finally feel safe,\u201d Molly says. \u201cUnless you\u2019ve been through it, you don\u2019t really understand what it feels like. Having a space that openly talks about healing in an honest, authentic way – it makes people quite emotional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wrote a survivor\u2019s guide in 2023. We\u2019ve got it printed out in loads of different spaces across campus. Because of them, we\u2019ve had people message and say that they felt, for once, represented and heard – more so than through the clinical leaflet you\u2019d get if you reported to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Academics Against Assault operates university-wide, holding bystander intervention sessions for committee members across all societies. But to ensure their message reaches the right audiences, they\u2019ve also led mandatory workshops for male sports teams on campus, including American football, men\u2019s football, and rugby, with attendance being required for members to compete in matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lara Hama, social media manager for AAA, says that these kinds of tactics are some of the only ways to get male students involved in the campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve learnt that, with men, you have to either give them a threat or a reward,\u201d Lara explains. \u201cThe rugby team captain tests them once a term on what they\u2019ve learnt. If they don\u2019t pass, they face consequences – they get put on the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not complaining – all we\u2019ve heard from them is how interesting they found it and how much they\u2019ve learnt. A lot of them have come out of this as better people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lara has been supporting Molly since Academics Against Assault\u2019s early days – something that has been extremely helpful, as running a campaign of this scale whilst juggling university life isn\u2019t easy. As a third-year politics student, Molly often struggles to find time for herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tiring,\u201d Molly laughs, \u201cI feel like my brain is in three, four, five different places at one time. We\u2019ve got so many different projects that I\u2019m trying to schedule in. Navigating this and also part time work, and my degree is difficult – but I couldn\u2019t not do this work. It\u2019s so fulfilling and healing as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside Lara and Molly are Rose Mulcahy, and Chlo\u00e9 Marcelli – each with their own specialities. It\u2019s a team that Molly says was easier to put together than she thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
(L-R) Rosy Mulcahy, Chlo\u00e9 Marcelli<\/em>, Molly Hanning, Lara Hama<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore people are passionate about this than I realised,\u201d she explains, \u201cWe love having students lead it and be on board with it because, at the end of the day, students are the ones navigating these systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lara, a final-year management and marketing student, brought her unique skill set to the campaign – completely transforming their Instagram and helping boost their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I joined, we were still very small,\u201d Lara says, \u201cOur Instagram followers were low and not many people knew about us. Now when I walk around campus, people recognise me as someone who is a part of this team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had people come up to us and say how much the charity means to them, and that means you\u2019ve done a good job – it means you\u2019ve already taken a few steps forward in achieving what you want to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re enjoying reading this article, why not check out this article about\u00a0the girl helping vulnerable people cope here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As University Connections Lead, Chlo\u00e9 Marcelli has played a vital role in AAA\u2019s expansion, helping the campaign reach universities beyond Royal Holloway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as AAA continues to grow, so does its reach. From the start, the goal was always to get the campaign nationwide – a vision that is now becoming a reality with the launch of its first branch at the University of Exeter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olivia Farrell, a final-year student at the University of Exeter, first discovered Academics Against Assault at a house party in Royal Holloway last year, where she met Molly and immediately connected with the campaign\u2019s mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convinced it was something her own university needed, she spent the summer discussing plans with Molly before properly having meetings about it with Chlo\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, AAA\u2019s first branch beyond Royal Holloway was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way they\u2019re approaching it through education is really important,\u201d Olivia says, \u201cYou don\u2019t really do sex education past high school, so I think it really is needed – especially because I don\u2019t think people know what actually defines consent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite only launching in September, the Exeter branch of Academics Against Assault has already made its mark. From meeting with the university\u2019s Students’ Guild to organizing gender safety meetings with key departmental heads – even hosting a former Kings College London lecturer to discuss the economics of gender equality – it\u2019s clear that this is something people are eager to engage with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst the team at Royal Holloway do provide Olivia with some materials to get her set up, she is completely free to host any events she wishes – leading to unique events done at the Exeter campus, including coffee mornings and collaborations with the debate society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as Olivia knows, none of this would\u2019ve happened without Molly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s definitely dedicated,\u201d Olivia says, \u201cAs a university student, it\u2019s incredible that she can balance both her degree and running this campaign. She\u2019s written all these resources and started all these workshops – it\u2019s so nice to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her sentiment is shared by Lara, who finds Molly\u2019s leadership nothing short of inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says: \u201cIt takes a lot of mental strength for her. Going through what she did go through, and why she created this charity in the first place – it can\u2019t be easy to be reminded of such events, but she still keeps going in order to make life and campus safer for many people like her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for Molly, Academics Against Assault is more than just a hobby – it\u2019s a mission<\/em>. Something she fully intends to continue after she graduates this summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking to take this the full way,\u201d Molly says, \u201cI need to sit down and get some advice on charities and how they function because it\u2019s going to take a lot of time and dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to apply and get funding for this – I really want to see where we can take it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supported by Lara, Olivia, and the rest of her growing team, Molly continues to push for better consent education and stronger support systems – working toward making Academics Against Assault a charity that\u2019s one day recognised everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople will one day, when they need help, come to us,\u201d Lara says, \u201cIt will be the first charity they think of, and it\u2019s amazing to be part of a team like that from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even if AAA hasn\u2019t expanded nationwide just yet, its message doesn\u2019t have to stay all in one place. The campaign is built on the idea of supporting everyone, everywhere, all the time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for students at universities without an AAA branch, Molly\u2019s message is clear: support is still out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many resources out there that can support you,\u201d Molly explains, \u201cTalk to your friends and your family – this kind of thing is so isolating and so lonely, and you need<\/em> people to look out for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d encourage people to get in touch with us – we have a survivors group chat. There are many different support groups out there, but we try our best to offer as many resources as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future of Academics Against Assault remains in the hands of students – the next generation of changemakers that are taking a stand against sexual violence the only way they know how; together.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about Academics Against Assault, or to better support their cause, you can visit their site here<\/a>, or follow them on Instagram here<\/a>.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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