Since the turn of the millennium across the UK, increased public and political awareness of the nature, extent and impact on women of all forms of gender based violence (GBV) has led to a significant expansion of the national policy framework and of funding for GBV prevention and specialist service provision. GBV occurring in higher education contexts has also gained attention among researchers, the government, the media and higher education institutions (HEIs) in recent years (see for example, National Union of Students (NUS) 2011, 2012; Jackson and Sundaram, 2015). Notably, national and international media coverage has highlighted universities as ‘sites of violence’ against women, with particular emphasis on sexual violence and harassment (Fenton et al, 2016: 5).

Research into campus-based GBV in the UK has tended overall to reflect experiences within English HEIs. In the 2011 National Union of Students UK survey Hidden Marks (NUS, 2011) on campus-based sexual violence, harassment and stalking, of the 2,058 responses, 88% were UK students and 12% from overseas students. Responses from students across the four home nations broadly reflected the distribution of student numbers across the four home nations (England: 85%; Wales: 10%; Scotland: 5%; Northern Ireland: 2%). Of the 62 institutions that contributed to the Universities UK Task Force's consultation on violence against women, harassment and hate crime in 2016, the vast majority were from England with five from Scotland, three from Wales and one from Northern Ireland. In 1998 the national governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales assumed responsibilities for a range of devolved matters (Home Office, 2013). Political and policy priorities emerged which were distinct from each other and from those in England meaning it is no longer accurate to refer to a UK response without reference to the differences between the four nations, as illustrated through the evolution of GBV policy in each of the home nations. GBV is a policy area that shows a degree of variation across the UK and merits examination for the impact this may have on how universities address this issue on campus sexual violence. This chapter will begin by outlining the current situation facing UK universities as they develop their responses to GBV.