There were 80 reports of sexual misconduct on Edinburgh University campus in the last five years, new figures reveal.
Across eight of Scotland's top institutions since 2017/18, there were more than 265 reports, data reveals. Included in the shock figures are reports of sexual harassment, such as stalking, as well as sexual assault and rape.
In one of the reports filed at Edinburgh, a member of staff was the alleged perpetrator. University bosses told Edinburgh Live support is available for anyone making a report.
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A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “We are always working to ensure the University is a safe place to study and work, but remain acutely aware of the wider issue of sexual violence on campus.
“The University continues to invest in raising awareness, delivering training for students and staff and ensuring there is effective professional support available for any student who requests it.
“We have processes in place to investigate reports of any form of sexual misconduct and we will always seek to make improvements wherever we can. We will continue to listen to views on what changes can be made to make sure that all students feel safe, protected and supported throughout these processes."
The Scottish Express reports how following the University of Edinburgh was St Andrews University, which had the second highest number of reports with 64 and the the University of Glasgow followed with 61 counts of sexual misconduct.
It included 14 reports of rape, 14 of sexual assault and 25 of sexual harassment, including stalking, the Scottish Daily Mail reported.
The University of Aberdeen reported 43 counts over the five-year period and the University of Dundee 21 counts reported.
Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, told the paper: "These figures are highly likely to be underestimated, as many people do not feel able to report what has happened to them to their university."
"More needs to be done if universities are to ensure students are safe."
Aarti Mukhedkar, a student at Edinburgh University, who has been campaigning for the university to improve its reporting system after her report of sexual assault was overturned and dismissed.
She told the Daily Mail: "We had a protest and over 300 people attended - more than half of those were a survivor of some kind of sexual abuse or harassment."
A spokesman from EmilyTest, a campaign group against gender-based violence in education, said: "This is a massive, complex, social problem and we have a huge issue with underreporting for all sorts of reasons.' EmilyTest was set up after Aberdeen University student Emily Drouet, 18, killed herself after being assaulted.
A Universities Scotland spokesman said: "Universities will believe and support any student who discloses they have experienced gender-based violence."
The Scottish Government told the Mail colleges and universities "should be places where students can live, study and research free from genderbased violence. Huge issue with under-reporting".
Further information on support at Edinburgh University can be found here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/health-wellbeing/crisis-support/sexual-violence
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