Durham University has been accused of victim-blaming for telling students ‘don’t get spiked’ when they go to nightclubs.
Durham University Student Wellbeing posted advice on Twitter which said drink spiking ‘is something you can prevent from happening to you and your friends’.
The now-deleted tweet urged people to contact police after a suspected case, so it can be investigated and others can be protected.
The post said: ‘Drink Spiking is dangerous and something that you can prevent from happening to you and your friends.
“#dontgetspiked. Contact the police as soon as possible in a suspected case so an investigation can be conducted and others protected.’
Critics branded the advice ‘spectacularly tone-deaf’ and ‘really unhelpful’.
One person tweeted: ‘Be great if Durham University can put all of its effort into stopping young men spiking women’s drinks rather than telling young women ‘don’t get spiked’. It’s not even well-intentioned. This kind of stuff shouldn’t have even got past the idea stage.’
Others ridiculed the tweet, with one writing: ‘Durham university has solved all incidents of date rape globally.’
Durham Students’ Union President Seun Twins also criticised the tweet.
He said: ‘This victim-blaming messaging is extremely dangerous.
‘What was this supposed to achieve other than to divert attention away from predators and predatory behaviour? Disappointed for the umpteenth time.’
Jonah Graham, Durham SU Welfare and Liberation Officer, added: ‘Disappointing. Spiking is assault so this hashtag is widely inappropriate.
‘The uni should help students to stay safe (e.g. providing drink covers) and report incidents without insensitively blaming victim
‘All guilt lies with perpetrators – the primary focus must be on them.’
The university said it had removed the post in light of the backlash, though it stopped short of apologising.
It comes as police investigate reports of women being ‘spiked by injection’ at nightclubs.
Young girls are said to be wearing thicker clothes when they go out to avoid being attacked with syringes.
Students across the country are planning to boycott clubs as part of calls for more to be done to tackle the ‘epidemic’ in spiking.
A Durham University spokesperson said: ‘We appreciate the feedback on our recent post about drink safety. Students have reported concerns to us about drink spiking on nights out.
‘We take this very seriously, and work with the police and others on guidance to help people be safe and report incidents. We also regularly train staff and student representatives on drug and alcohol awareness.
‘We always aim to support our students and take opportunities to learn and improve our messaging on important topics like this.’
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