Building a new culture, free from sexual harassment

Deepali Foster reports on The Not Cool Club, a new UCL society aimed at building a campus culture free from sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature that humiliates, intimidates, or causes distress. It encompasses all from leering and catcalling, to rape and physical violence. Evidence consistently shows that sexual harassment follows the contours of inequality. The issue is a global one; Action Aid UK has discovered that three-quarters of women in the UK experience sexual harassment and assault, with the percentage increasing to 79% in India, 81% in the US, 86% in Brazil, and 87% in Vietnam. However, no country, no institution and no gender is immune to sexual harassment. The high rate of misconduct stems from feelings of entitlement and impunity, combined with the normalisation of sexual harassment that has been tolerated for too long. 

However, despair not; the global fight against sexual misconduct has begun. The surge in revolutionary anti-sexual assault movements, such as #MeToo, #IBelieveHer and Time’s Up, has inspired action closer to home. The Not Cool Club is UCL’s own example of a grassroots movement, aimed at building a new University culture. One free from sexual harassment. 

Launched by activist Tarana Burke in 2006 to highlight the pervasiveness of sexual abuse in society, the #MeToo movement went viral in 2017, when Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein began dominating headlines. Suddenly gaining international attention, Burke’s movement started a crusade within the industries of politics, business and entertainment to speak out, reigniting global conversation surrounding sexual victimisation. It marked an important step. The monumental impact of movements such as #MeToo is evident by subsequent legal victories: in China, changes to sexual harassment laws will come into force in 2020. Employers will be forced to take a more proactive stance when handling sexual harassment complaints and managers will be obliged to protect the wellbeing of employees. More than a hashtag, the #MeToo movement has rousingly spurred a revolution. A fundamental shift in culture is underway, from silence to empowerment.

Law student, Khadija Siddiqi, was stabbed 23 times in Pakistan in 2016 after refusing the advances of a classmate. She managed to win her appeal against her well-connected attacker, through gaining support over social media, using the hashtag #JusticeforKhadija. She declared “a precedent has been set that if you raise your voice for truth, you will taste victory”. However, according to ActionAid UK, two thirds of people harassed globally do not report to the police, with 50% deeming it pointless and 29% ashamed, scared or guilty. The statistics suggest that urgent action (including the erosion of male privilege encoded in law) is needed to continue the development of a society safe from sexual harassment. 

Sexual harassment prevention starts with a cultural change: beliefs, attitudes and expectations shape one’s response to sexual harassment. The Not Cool Club is questioning social norms. I spoke to the committee members about their mission to tackle sexual harassment and the exploitation of vulnerability on campus. Aware of both the complexity of the issue and their limitations, the student-led movement is not claiming the ability to abolish sexual harassment once and for all. Instead, the club pledges to stimulate positive and constructive dialogue on the issue, inspiring the confidence required to call out sexual harassment as #notcool.

When discussing the club with committee members Nehchal and Daisy, Nehchal explained that the society is building momentum through hosting club nights that feature student DJs, to both showcase new talent, and generate buzz around the club. Daisy said that their aspiration is to make the socials a safe and healthy environment, intolerant of the sexual harassment woven into clubbing culture. Supporting the significance of the Ask for Angela campaign - the 2016 initiative that encouraged people to ask for ‘Angela’ at a bar when in an uncomfortable situation - Daisy reiterated the society’s aim to hold people accountable for their actions when clubbing. The club intends to do this by training its members to “stand guard” during clubbing events, calling out inappropriate action to create a safe environment. Anonymity and reduced responsibility means that nightclubs are breeding grounds for sexual harassment. But why should dim-lighting, loud music and boozy-fun result in freedom to abuse?

The Not Cool Club has gained attention through its iconic black and yellow branding seen on social media, posters and its members’ hoodies. The designer, Mich, stressed the importance of branding to the club’s cause. He explained that, as we are living in a visually dominated culture, “the more memorable and better communicated the idea is, the more people it reaches”. Since the club was founded last year, voices of doubt have risen regarding the perceived lack of concrete action by the club to tackle the sexual harassment issue head on. A number of anonymous UCLove posts expressed uncertainty about the society’s financial transparency, while others have questioned the culture of the club itself, even describing it as “self-congratulatory” as well as “deluded and exclusionary”. Mitch addressed controversies around the club, stressing that the club’s focus on clubbing events and publicity in term one was required to achieve recognition, and that the “main crux” of the movement is The Not Cool Sessions. 

The sessions launched on 2nd March and, for four weeks, members of The Herd - a group of passionate UCL students - will travel to societies to discuss sexual harassment within an everyday, student-centred context. Leaders will facilitate dialogue using ice-breakers such as “speed-dating”, where participants will have two minutes to discuss a realistic sexual harassment scenario with a peer, before moving to discuss with another. Having participated in this activity when attending a Herd training session, personally, I found that it was thoroughly engaging for students and created an open, safe and collaborative environment, certainly necessary when dealing with uncomfortable and sensitive truths. The Not Cool Sessions strive to raise awareness and change mind-sets. The Club hope their advocacy of viewing activism as ‘cool’ will perhaps create a ripple effect within UCL, imploring students to take action by adopting a sense of personal responsibility to call out sexual harassment around campus. President of the Club, Ian, hopes the sessions will be the “start of the conversation, not the end of it.”

The growth of global movements, such as #MeToo, and the birth of The Not Cool Club as a result of the failure of universities to address cases of sexual harassment, suggests progression towards the creation of a culture rid of sexual misconduct. Although the battle has not yet been won, action combatting sexual harassment is being taken universally, at a national and local level, inspiring hope, energy, confidence and moral courage. Voice-by-voice we are disrupting all systems that allow sexual violence to flourish, in order to build a society that has conquered sexual harassment.

This article was originally published in Issue 725 of Pi Magazine.