'So many women don't feel safe on nights out - it's terrifying': the fear for freshers on nights out

• ITV Wales' Ella Lloyd reports from Swansea.

"So many women don't feel safe on nights out, and looking over your shoulder is second nature."

That's the words of a woman living in Swansea who believes she is just one of thousands of students across the country who become victims to sexual harassment while at university.

Tens of thousands of students will have arrived at Welsh universities for the first time this month, many of them away from home for the first time.

While many savour settling into new accommodation, meeting new people and being in a new town or city, it can also be a dangerous time, with heavy driving commonplace at university especially during the early few weeks of university known as freshers.

We have spoken to several women who have told us about their experiences of sexual harassment on nights out in Swansea.

One of them is Olivia who moved to Swansea three years ago. She told us about her experiences of being sexually harassed on nights out in Swansea, including being followed home, having to shelter behind a police officer and a stranger grabbing her throat.

"The thing that really drew me to Swansea was my course," she explains. "They had a really good reputation for it.

"I grew up in Oxfordshire, so it's really, really far away from that support system and everyone I know, my family. So I was a bit hesitant about how expensive it's going to be to get back but I wouldn't say I was nervous.

"When you're a kid you feel like you're growing out of your house a bit, and having that experience of stepping into adulthood, I was really excited and just ready to start that new chapter of my life."

But she says when she arrived, she wasn't safe.

"When you're a fresher, and you're so far away from home, and you don't have a friend group that you know will look after you. It is just you, really, against men.

"I had a guy grab my throat at a bar once and he said 'I know you like that'.

"I was so shocked. In a situation like that, you think you'd retaliate but you're always caught off guard. These men that are these predators in these clubs, they know when to pick their moments. They take advantage of you when you least expect it.

"I would say there is a lot of violence on Wind Street.

"There have been times when I've called a taxi and I have quite literally sheltered myself behind a police officer from a man that was trying to get my attention by being up in my face, by saying really provocative comments and I can't quite believe that even when there's a police officer in full uniform, these men still feel like they can get away with it.

"If you go out with a big girls' group, guaranteed, at least one of, say five, of you will come back with a bad experience from a night out.

"I've been followed home before, I've had people recognise me from the gym, and then say 'I watched you warm up at the gym yesterday, let me walk you home', just a complete stranger.

"It's terrifying because as a woman you're totally dependent on how fast can I run away in this situation. I can't turn back and fight him, it's the survival instincts that become so normalised."

Olivia says she has decided to speak publicly about her experiences as she believes she is one of many.

"So many women don't feel safe on nights out, and looking over your shoulder is second nature," she said.

"It's almost shameful to speak up as a woman, because there's so much doubt about the validity and the truth behind what women are going through.

'Had I done this story and said 'I want to be anonymous, and I don't want my face to be used', that's telling women that's it's not okay to say what's happened to me on nights out.

'We shouldn't fear going out and going to town and having a good night with your girls.

"I know that I'm just one voice of thousands of uni students across the country that struggle with this issue."

The number of incidents of sexual harassment in Swansea city centre that were reported to last year is not known. That is because it is not recorded as a specific crime by South Wales Police.

In an FOI response the force said "If a member of the public were to report sexual harassment, this could be recorded under a number of different offence types depending on the circumstances e.g. stalking, harassment, sexual offences, rape, etc."

However, they were able to tell us that in Swansea city centre in 2023 there were: 18 reports of rape of a female aged 16 and over, 10 reports of sexual assault on a female aged 13 and over, 36 reports of harassment, and three reports of exposure and voyeurism.

But many, like Olivia, never report these incidents.

Statistics shared exclusively with ITV Wales from Plan UK say:

South Wales Police says tackling violence and abuse against women and girls is a "long-standing priority".

A spokesperson said: "As a force we have an excellent history of partnership working. We target resources towards clear routes to safety for victims, supporting and empowering survivors and investing in evidence-based interventions that tackle root causes, addressing the harmful attitudes and behaviours that result in violence and abuse.

"As well as high-visibility and plain-clothed patrols, we are involved in a wide range of initiatives to tackle violence and abuse including StreetSafe, the Cardiff Safety Bus and Swansea Help Point.

"We deploy additional officers to city centres on Friday and Saturday nights and on other key dates, for example during the freshers period and major events days, to ensure increased visibility and reassurance to people enjoying the night-time economy.

"We also deploy plain-clothes officers to patrol city centres to prevent violence against women and girls by targeting suspicious individuals and those displaying unwanted sexual behaviour."

Swansea University Student's Union say "staff within our on campus venues are trained to identify where any student may require help and we operate the 'Ask for Angela' scheme.

"Our partner venues in the City Centre are also held to the same standards as our on campus venues and we will only work in partnership with and promote venues who have proven that they have the appropriate safety and support mechanisms in place to help students when needed.

"We have specially trained welfare advisors within our Advice and Support Centre, available to help any students who have been affected by this issue.

"We also work closely with our colleagues in the University’s Welfare teams, to ensure that all students requiring welfare support receive the help they need promptly."

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