“People are killing themselves over all of this. Safety in campus is still an issue; not much is done to ensure that students are safe. When they come out and report their cases are mostly not taken serious‚” she added.
Palesa Setsubi‚ 21-year-old student at the university‚ said something needed to be done to make sure they were safe.
“I was a victim of sexual assault myself‚ but I had to work through it and now I am a survivor. Rape culture in universities is rife and in our society it’s still something we shy away from discussing. But with a bit of love and support a lot can be done‚” Setsubi said.
She said that abusers should stop objectifying women’s bodies.
“It’s not something you can take out your frustrations on. As students we go through the most and we don’t even talk about it. I know women who have been raped but they are scared to come out and report it because they fear no one will believe them. Let us be there for one another‚” she said.
Phineas Rikhotso from Campus Protection Services said the biggest challenge in dealing with violence at the institution was that students seldom reported the cases.
“We would like to urge students to come to us with these issues. We have also identified that most of these things occur at parties and residences‚ especially outside campus‚” Rikhotso said.
“Another pressing issue is bullying; students bully each other so much.”