The evidence
Why WeOK is needed: the data.
Sexual harassment and assault are common at university, the experience can be life-changing, and most students who experience them never formally report it. Every figure on this page comes from an official source and links to it. We have left out any figure we could not check against the original.
A small step in the right direction
WeOK will not end sexual violence. It is a small, practical step to help where help is possible, for a group the data shows is at higher risk. Most students are young adults, and young adults are more likely to use drugs than older adults: 15.1% of people aged 16 to 24 in England and Wales used a drug in the last year, compared with 7.3% of those aged 25 to 59. Office for National Statistics [5]
Alcohol and drugs can impair judgement, and they are often present when assaults happen. In the most recent incident of rape or assault by penetration, 38.8% of victims said the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol, 37.8% said they had been drinking themselves, and 5.0% thought the perpetrator had drugged them. Office for National Statistics [6]
Agreeing boundaries privately before a night out means each person's wishes are clear before anyone has had a drink. None of this shifts responsibility: being drunk or high never means consent, and an assault is always the fault of the person who commits it.
Spiking
Between May 2022 and April 2023, police in England and Wales received 6,732 reports of spiking, an average of 561 a month, including 957 reports of needle spiking. Almost three-quarters (74%) of reported victims were women, and students were the most common recorded occupation among victims in police data for October 2022. The government's report to Parliament found the greatest number of incidents occurred in university towns, coinciding with Freshers' Week, and says spiking is under-reported. Home Office [7]
The Crime and Policing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, introduces a new criminal offence of administering a harmful substance, including by spiking. GOV.UK [8]
Because of this, WeOK includes an "I think I've been spiked" button inside Get help. No app can tell whether a drink has been spiked, but one tap alerts the student's trusted contact and shows what to do next, from police and NHS guidance, including getting tested quickly, because most drugs leave the body within 12 to 72 hours [9]. Another tap notes the time and place, kept only on their phone, in case they decide to report it later.
Who is most affected
Women were nearly three times more likely than men to experience sexual harassment, and more than twice as likely to experience sexual assault or violence. Nearly half of lesbian, gay or bisexual students experienced sexual harassment, compared with 21.7 per cent of heterosexual students. Younger and disabled students also reported significantly higher rates. Office for Students [2]
Students compared with everyone else
Across England and Wales, an estimated 3.0% of women and 0.7% of men aged 16 and over experienced sexual assault, including attempts, in the year to March 2025. A higher proportion of full-time students were victims than people in any other occupation type. The rate was 5.0% among 16 to 19 year olds and 6.1% among 20 to 24 year olds. Office for National Statistics [3]
When students do report
Of the students who reported and were asked about it, 46.7% said the experience of the reporting process was good, and 39.3% said it was poor. Office for Students, 2025 [1]
What universities must now do
The Office for Students' condition E6 on harassment and sexual misconduct came fully into effect on 1 August 2025. Universities and colleges registered with the OfS must comply with it, including publishing their policies and training new students. Office for Students [4]
How WeOK responds
Designed around these findings.
Few students report
Get help sits next to the stop button, with the student's own university reporting contacts and national services. WeOK never takes reports; it points students to the people who do.
Many don't know where to turn
University support contacts are confirmed every term, and for the first three days of each term a single card shows them, with a link to the university's policy.
Women are more at risk
Boundaries agreed privately before meeting, check-ins and a trusted contact on the day, and the right to stop at any moment, with one tap or simply by saying so.
Evidence is expected
Every pilot includes an independent evaluation run by an academic partner, so universities can see whether WeOK makes a difference.
Students are the focus
Each student is checked once through their university login and confirms they are 18 or over. Guests they invite pass the same age check.
No new data risk
Records stay on each student's phone. WeOK holds nothing about any agreement, so it adds no student data for a university to manage.
The limits of this data
The Office for Students survey covers final-year undergraduates at English universities and colleges, and the OfS says the results represent that group, not the whole student population. It is the first sector-wide survey of its kind, so the OfS advises interpreting the results with care. There is no official national record of how many reports UK universities receive each year, so this page does not show a trend in reports over time.
Sources
- Office for Students, Sexual misconduct survey 2025: analysis of results report (OfS 2025.61), published 25 September 2025. 51,920 responses from final-year undergraduates in England.
- Office for Students, 2025 sexual misconduct survey.
- Office for National Statistics, Sexual offences victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2025, Crime Survey for England and Wales, released 4 November 2025.
- Office for Students, Developing our approach to harassment and sexual misconduct.
- Office for National Statistics, Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2025, Crime Survey for England and Wales, released 11 December 2025.
- Office for National Statistics, Nature of sexual assault by rape or penetration, England and Wales: year ending March 2025, released 4 November 2025. Figures are for victims aged 16 and over, about their most recent incident, combining the years ending March 2020 and March 2025.
- Home Office, Understanding and tackling spiking, report presented to Parliament under section 71 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, December 2023. Police figures for May 2022 to April 2023.
- GOV.UK, Crime and Policing Act 2026.
- North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Spiking.
If you need help now, call 999 in an emergency, or the free 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222. More support.