A number of female King’s students have allegedly been harassed in Maughan Library. Many of them claim they did not know how to report the incidents.
“I had no clue how to and who to report to,” says one woman Roar News have spoken to, who wishes to remain anonymous. The sentiment is echoed by several of the other women Roar have spoken to.
“It wasn’t a police matter but I definitely think it’s a King’s College problem,” the woman adds. Together with her friend, the woman is behind the Kiss College London post that has spurred many female King’s students to come forward with allegations about the same harasser.
Roar has previously reported on the alleged harassment that has occured in Maughan Library, and spoken to several women who have encountered the “creepy guy”.
The man allegedly posed both as an LSE student, and as library staff, and targeted women in the library late at night.
Did not know where to report
None of the women Roar has spoken to wish to reveal their identity, out of fear that the alleged harasser might contact them again.
Upon questions of whether she reported the incident to security, one woman responds: “Security who? They don’t do shit. They stay in their little room by the entrance.”
“Hes been there for two years and keeps doing this, but King’s doesn’t stop him. They use CCTV to stop students to come in when the Queen comes, but then they cannot keep their students safe from this guy,” says another woman in reference to last years events in Bush House, in which student activists were barred from entering campus premises during HM The Queens visit.Â
Screenshot of the Kiss College London post
Some of the women who did end up reporting their encounters, were unsure whether King’s ever responded accordingly. After all, they kept seeing the man in Maughan.
“Perhaps they did [look into the matter] and it wasn’t relayed back to me. Generally I really like all the guards there, but of course, this simply reflects the weakness of the King’s administration. Now and then we see them sleeping on the night shifts, which is a serious issue if there are individuals such as this one,” she claims.
A King’s College Problem
Another woman who did report the incidents, says: “I searched up avenues [to report], but it wasn’t very clear from the KCL website, since he wasn’t a student.”
Several affected women have now formed a Facebook-group, saying: “We just want to be given correct advice on how to report him and keep ourselves safe at the same time.”
KCLSU President Shaswat Jain says to Roar that he is “very concerned to hear that someone not belonging to the King’s community has come in to our library and is harassing students.”
KCLSU is concerned
He adds: “You can contact KCLSU Advice for help with the complaint and if you feel uncomfortable making a formal complaint there is also an anonymous disclosure tool. If you come across this man in the library and it is safe to do so, please let the nearest KCL security or staff member know.”
On Tuesday a King’s spokesperson said the university is investigating concerns raised by the female students.
In a statement from Wednesday, the spokesperson says King’s is “committed to providing and promoting a positive environment for all members of our community which is free from all forms of discrimination and harassment.
Our students receive guidance as part of the induction process when they start their studies at King’s outlining where to go with concerns and our It Stops Here campaign promotes respect, report and support for those who have been subjected to or witnessed harassment or sexual misconduct.”
Have you had similar experiences on campus? Email [email protected], or contact Roar on any social media platform.
