Policy on sexual harrassment challenged
CUSU campaign demands zero tolerance from University on claims of harrassment
CUSU’s Women’s Campaign has launched a major campaign to combat sexual harassment across the University.
The campaign, which demands that the University takes an attitude of no tolerance to sexual harassment, was started in response to the NUS’s Hidden Marks report, which was published in March of last year.
The report found that 68 per cent of female students had been sexually harassed at their current institution.
The report also found that 16 per cent per cent of incidents of sexual harassment took place in a learning environment, such as a lecture thea- tre or library.
The campaign warned that many who responded to the report said that this kind of behaviour was deemed normal at events in pubs and clubs.
Ruth Graham, CUSU’s womens officer, also drew attention to the importance of being absolutely sure about what exactly was deemed sexual harassment.
CUSU defines sexual harassment as behaviour that is “unwanted, per- sistent, and of a sexual nature.”
The campaign follows succesful attempts to implement zero tolerance policies in other student unions, such as those in Cardiff, Sheffield, Swansea, and Goldsmiths.
The campaign hopes to urge colleges to pass motions giving their support to the zero tolerance to sexual assault campaign, and to guarantee that disciplinary proce- dures as well as student attitudes reflect the policy of zero tolerance.
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