Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has raised concerns about an alarming number of young, international and LGBTI students reporting rape and sexual assault at Australian universities.
Early submissions to a landmark survey of thousands of students at 39 universities reveal some are unwilling to report crimes and abuse to police and campus authorities.
Professor Triggs said many early submissions were shocking and included female students waking up after drinking to find men having sex with them.
The study, commissioned by Universities Australia, will be managed by the Human Rights Commission and presented with recommendations to vice-chancellors next year.
One students reported leaving a university party with friends to be escorted home, but ended up being "raped in a van in the car park".
Professor Triggs said a female lecturer reported students taking pictures of her genitalia when she wore a dress to class. The students shared the images on the internet.
"She said she did not report these incidents because she felt like it would tarnish her reputation more than the students', that she would become an 'administrative burden'."
A PhD student complained about her supervisor making comments about sex and masturbation while finding excuses for her to come to his desk and look at photographs of himself.
The study was motivated by a National Union of Students survey that found 72.5 per cent of students experience some form of sexual harassment, although not necessarily on campus.
After opening four weeks ago, close to 400 submissions have been received from students and university staff. Reports of sexual abuse and assault have been received from 35 of 39 campuses.
Close to 13 per cent of submissions have come from international students and 19 per cent from students who identify as LGBTI.
"I have been shocked by the relatively high number of young international students and a disproportionately high number of LGBTI students who have reported assault," Professor Triggs said.
"I had suspected older students would have been more willing to share their experiences but there are very young women who trust the commission and are willing to write highly articulate accounts."
Professor Triggs said it was too early to draw conclusions from the data although common trends were emerging.
"Almost all submissions have begun with the phrase 'I have not reported this but ...," she said.
"This suggests these assaults are seriously under-reported and once students knew they could come to us it was like a dam bursting."
