student-to-student harassment, the institution-wide approach advocated in
chapter 5 should apply to staff as well as to students and to other forms of
gender-based violence. Universities should ensure that their policies and
procedures are suitably equipped to support students whether they report an
incident perpetrated by a fellow student or by a member of staff.
30. Evidence from the Centre for Feminist Research (CFR) highlighted that there
are specific issues for universities to consider when responding to an allegation
of sexual harassment or violence by a member of staff. For example, internal
complaints procedures could create a conflict of interest where complaints are
forwarded to the head of the same department in which the alleged perpetrator
is a staff member. Conservatoires UK developed guidance for staff in
conservatoires, where one-to-one teaching is prevalent30. This is addressed in
further detail in Annexe C. A number of universities also have policies and codes
of conduct on staff-student relationships. The Taskforce has also been made
aware of the 1752 Group, a new organisation focusing on staff-to-student sexual
misconduct and exploitation in higher education. The 1752 Group believes that
there is a lack of resources and expertise available for institutions that want to
improve their practice in this area. There will be three strands to the Group:
consultancy and training; research; and lobbying and campaigning.31
31. EVAW also highlighted the problem of forced marriage affecting university
students, due to its prevalence among university-age women. In 2015, the
government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support in 1,220
cases, 35% of which involved victims aged 18–25.32 In 2013, the FMU funded
research into how colleges and universities respond to cases of forced
marriage.33 Although the Taskforce has focused primarily on types of sexual
violence and harassment affecting women, it recognises that such violence is not
limited to women and that violence against women can take many other forms
including domestic violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation
(FGM).
32. In recent years, there have been various media reports suggesting that ‘lad
culture’, misogynistic behaviour and sexual harassment are rife among
university sports teams. The Taskforce invited evidence from British
Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). BUCS confirmed that although there
was no centralised data available to show the scale of the problem nationally,
they were aware of anecdotal evidence across the sector. In response to this,
BUCS developed a series of campaigns to support the eradication of this type of
behaviour in sports teams34. Further details can be found in case study 2 in
Annexe E which documents how universities are working with sports teams to
encourage positive behaviours.
See http://www.conservatoiresuk.ac.uk/about-cuk/principles-of-best-practice-in-conservatoireteaching/ for details of Conservatoires UK’s Principles of Best Practice in Conservatoire Teaching
31 www.1752group.com
32https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/505827/Forced_M
arriage_Unit_statistics_2015.pdf
33 http://www.amosshe.org.uk/sites/default/files/u3152/2395_LMU_Forced_Marriage_Report.pdf
34 Take a stand, http://www.bucs.org.uk/athlete.asp?section=18767§ionTitle=%23TakeAStand
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