Zara has vivid memories of the night she was sexually assaulted while doing field work overseas. She was just 19-years-old at the time.
"I was sitting under the stars, admiring the stars and the beach and this master's student from the university came and sat down beside me,” she said.
In the dark, she tried to stop him from taking off her clothes.
Her first thought, a feeling of embarrassment and of not wanting to expose any children who might be nearby to what was happening.
“I was struggling. Trying to hold my clothes where they were. But he was a lot stronger than I was."
Like many victims of sexual assault, Zara initially blamed herself for what happened.
"(I was thinking) what have you done? What have you let happen? For a very long time afterwards, I made excuses for him.”
The impact of that night reverberated for years afterwards.
“I ended up getting into a really abusive relationship after that. I guess I already felt a bit like the damage was already done. I was ‘used goods’ now. I was broken,” she said.
Over the course of her academic career, Zara says she has experienced unwanted sexual comments from supervisors, including one who tried to entice her with promises of a scholarship.
“He took me to lunch a few times and asked me directly to come to his house and to leave my clothes at the door,” she said.
“It’s almost strange to hear from a woman who hasn't had an experience that they've felt uncomfortable at some stage with an authority figure or someone they respect and look up to.”
The Human Rights Commission and Universities Australia today launched a national survey called Respect. Now. Always to try to uncover how widespread the problem of sexual assault and harassment is, both on and off campus.
Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek, who helped launch the survey at UNSW, also shared her own experience as a student women’s officer in Sydney.
"I was stalked at university and when we had our sexual harassment campaign, I got a phone call in the middle of the night, threatening to rape me. It breaks my heart that more hasn't changed since then."
Women’s officer Heidi La Paglia from the National Union of Students said there have been cases where incidents of sexual assault have been reported to university staff and nothing has been done.
"I personally have heard of students who've had to leave classes because they've been in a class with a perpetrator,” she said.
Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Professor Gillian Triggs said the survey is decades overdue.
“The stories are important, the human stories are important. But ultimately, to develop policy, to respond to it in a nation-wide consistent manner, we ultimately need research," Ms Triggs said.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or domestic violence, you can call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 727) for free professional support.
