What is a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer?

The University and Student’s Union have trained staff as Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs). The SVLOs are trained in taking disclosures of historic or new incidents of sexual violence. The role of the SVLO is to support students, to listen empathically and without judgement. You can tell your SVLO as much or as little as you want to about what happened, and in your own time, if you have been affected by sexual violence.

Your SVLO will be guided by you and ask you what you would like to happen next. They can then discuss all options with you from reporting to the Police, the University or even choosing not to report to anyone.

The conversation is safe and confidential however there may be situations where we have to breach confidentiality, for example where you or someone else is at risk of harm. The SVLO will inform you if such a disclosure needs to be made.

You can book online to speak with a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO). You can choose an hour slot that works best with you with an SVLO of your choice. Your first meeting will be on Microsoft Teams, but if you would prefer to have your meeting face to face then you just need to let you SVLO know. They will them let you know where to meet them, dependent on availability. 

If you have a question, you can also contact the team by email at svlo@surrey.ac.uk.