Gender-based violence (GBV) is an ongoing challenge for university ombudspersons.
The survey conducted by UniSAFE in 2022-2023, with over 42,000 responses from European higher education staff and students, found that almost two in three respondents (58%) had experienced gender-based violence and almost one in three had experienced sexual harassment at their institution. The impact on studies and health is enormous.
There is an increasing political and policy focus internationally on how HEIs deal with gender-based violence and sexual harassment. However, existing procedures for handling reports place a heavy burden on victim-survivors, requiring them to go through a formal reporting process that can be re-traumatising and exhausting, as well as ineffective.
In their presentations, Anna Bull (University of York/The 1752 Group, United Kingdom) and Deb Eerkes (University of Alberta in Edmonton/Courage to Act, Canada) focused on effective ways to shift the responsibility for dealing with gender-based violence and harassment from victims-survivors to institutions. A sensitive, trauma-informed and survivor-driven approach is a key element in this, encouraging us not to insist on a formal reporting process in our institutions, but to promote a wider range of responses.
Drawing on her experience at the University of Alberta, Deb highlighted strategies on how it has been possible to bring about effective change through a combination of student union lobbying and decades of work to support survivors.
Anna focused on proactive strategies to address GBV in HEIs, starting with putting in place effective prevention mechanisms and policies, including conducting an investigation if there is reason to believe that inappropriate behaviour has occurred, even if there is no formal complaint. She also highlighted the importance of precautionary/interim measures that can be applied, as well as preventive strategies, such as policies on personal relationships between staff and students.