Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment
Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment
The Hidden Marks report, published in March 2010 by the NUS Women's Campaign, revealed that 68% of women students have experienced sexual harassment while a student at their current institution. Many women students reported experiencing persistent harassment in pubs and club nights, and reported that this kind of behaviour was seen as normal at such an event. 16% of the incidents occurred in a learning environment such as a lecture theatre or library.
The NUS's definition of sexual harassment is as follows:
The defining characteristics of sexual harassment are that it is unwanted, persistent and of a sexual nature. Examples of unacceptable behaviour include:
- Unwanted sexual comments (including comments about your body or private life)
- Unwelcome sexual invitations, innuendoes, and offensive gestures
- Wolf whistling, catcalling or offensive sexual noises
- Groping, pinching or smacking of your body, such as your bottom or breasts
- Having your skirt or top lifted without agreeing
- Someone exposing their sexual organs to you without consent
The zero tolerance to sexual harassment campaign was established with the aim of helping unions create an environment where all students can enjoy their time at university without persistent and unwanted attention of a sexual nature. CUSU Women's Forum and CUSU Council have voted unanimously to adopt this policy (on 19.10.2011 and 7.11.2011 respectively), because we believe that no student at this institution should be forced to just 'put up' with sexual harassment, and that action must be taken to ensure that all students are able to enjoy their time at university without experiencing sexual harassment. Sexual harassment should not be tolerated, and those who commit acts of sexual harassment should be stopped and disciplined for their actions. Furthermore, although sexual harassment predominantly affects women students, the policy should and must be applicable to all students, regardless of gender, sexuality, or any other characteristic.
CUSU will now be reviewing its own disciplinary and complaints procedure to ensure that they fit with the zero tolerance policy, and we will be including the comprehensive definition of sexual harassment in the Freshers' Guide for 2012, along with our commitment to making the University of Cambridge Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment. We will also be campaigning to publically challenge the normalization of sexual harassment, and the CUSU Women's Officer will support any interested parties in colleges, departments, bars and clubs in Cambridge in the following:
a) ascertaining what the appropriate pathway is for students to complain in the event of an incident of sexual harassment, and to improve the pathway if it is not appropriate
b) making this pathway clear and accessible to all students
c) providing training for staff members working in bar environments, on both the policy itself and the process for dealing with any incident that occurs
Please get in touch if your institution does not have an appropriate policy or procedure for dealing with sexual harassment, by emailing womens@cusu.ac.uk.