UCL to hold global conference on addressing sexual misconduct in higher education

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Isobel Helme reports on UCL’s upcoming virtual conference, “Calling Time on Sexual Misconduct”.

UCL has announced that it is to hold a two-day online conference on challenging sexual misconduct in higher education on June 17th and 18th. The conference, which UCL claims will be the first of its kind, will feature world-leading experts and speakers in the field of sexual misconduct prevention from organisations and universities from countries including the UK, Australia, and the US.

According to UCL, the “Calling Time on Sexual Misconduct” virtual conference intends to “facilitate a global conversation on best-practice and key learnings in implementing policies and projects within higher education settings”. Topics to be discussed include: primary prevention interventions; building a culture of belief; understanding the overlapping systems of oppression; creating sustainable change; and building networks of allies and bystanders. 

A 2018 report entitled “Institutional responses to staff sexual misconduct in UK higher education” found that sexual harassment complaints processes in universities systematically place survivors of sexual misconduct at a disadvantage compared to those accused. Furthermore, an NUS report found that 75% of respondents had had an unwanted sexual experience at least once, and only 14% of those who had experienced any form of unwanted sexual behaviour reported it. 

The conference is sponsored by Culture Shift, the organisation responsible for creating UCL’s Report + Support platform, an online reporting tool for students and staff. In recent years, UCL has taken a variety of steps to ensure bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct face consequences. These include “Prevention of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct” and “Personal Relationships” policies; “Where do you draw the line?” training; the “I <3 Consent” and the “Full Stop” campaign; the establishment of a “Preventing Sexual Misconduct Strategy Group”; and agreements both with Intersol Global and Rape Crisis South London.

In 2019 UCL announced its decision to stop using non-disclosure agreements with individuals who report cases of sexual misconduct, harassment, and bullying. This came after award-winning astrophysicist Dr Emma Chapman spoke out about UCL’s attempt to get her to sign a confidentiality clause after she reported suffering harassment from a staff member. A BBC freedom of information request found that 300 NDAs have been used by 45 universities since 2016 to resolve student complaints; £1.3 million in total and individual pay-outs ranging from £250 - £40,000.

Students’ Union UCL Women’s Officer, Nilisha Vashist, told Pi News, “Sexual misconduct is a rampant and often ignored problem within universities, not just in the UK, but the world over. UCL's conference on sharing good practices in this regard is a very welcome step. Discussing openly about the issue and institutional neglect or efforts is a good first step to help institutions make uniform policies.”

“However, the real change comes with a 'culture shift' in the attitude towards sexual misconduct in a hierarchical learning environment where survivors are believed, supported and not let down in the name of 'ruining of potential' of the harasser. I hope more and more universities embed a change in their culture to support the survivors.”