To do so, it developed and launched new guidance on preventing and responding to genderbased violence. The guidance commits SOAS to investigating allegations of gender-based
violence in clearly defined circumstances – rather than simply saying that they are a matter
for the police to deal with (the approach advocated by the 1994 Zellick guidelines).
SOAS consulted broadly on the development of the new guidance, working closely with the
SOAS students’ union on the terms of the new approach and the wording of the guidance.
Expert external agencies were also consulted, including the End Violence Against Women
Coalition (EVAW), Rape Crisis, the NUS; it also took independent legal advice.
A new approach
The first section of the SOAS guidance relates to prevention. This involved working closely
with the students’ union to develop and deliver training to students and staff on consent, and
delivering the University of West England (UWE) ‘Intervention Initiative’ materials to
student society organisers. Training was provided to senior staff on investigating allegations
in a sensitive manner. The approach is inclusive, and it recognises that LGBQ, trans and
male students can also be victims of GBV.
The second section focuses on how SOAS responds to reports of GBV. The guidance includes
a step-by-step procedure on how best to support victims and sets out the circumstances in
which SOAS would internally investigate allegations of GBV, at all times respecting the
wishes of the student.
Ongoing challenges and evaluation
Adopting this new approach has not been without barriers and challenges. SOAS took legal
advice to ensure that its procedures are appropriate and compliant with relevant legislation.
There have also been challenges around managing the expectations of complainants and
tailoring appropriate training required for staff and students. The School is also keen to learn
lessons from early cases to inform the ongoing review of internal practices in this area. The
new guidance was launched in January 2016, so SOAS does not yet have sufficient data to
inform detailed evaluation. However, it has established a new anonymous reporting system
to ensure that it will be able to review the effectiveness of the guidance.
The School’s approach is ground-breaking as only a very limited number of other institutions
are known to have gone beyond the Zellick recommendations. Therefore, it is hoped that the
SOAS guidance serves as an example to other institutions thinking of updating their policies
on addressing GBV.
CASE STUDY 6: NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY: ‘RESPECT AT NTU. GIVE IT. GET IT. EXPECT IT.’ A
CAMPAIGN TO LAUNCH THE UNIVERSITY’S DIGNITY AND RESPECT POLICY
Nottingham Trent University’s dignity and respect policy was launched as part of the
university’s ‘Respect at NTU’ campaign. This campaign is publicly backed by the vicechancellor, the university executive team and Nottingham Trent students’ union. The
campaign and policy are publicised across all three of the university’s campuses.
The policy sets out the university’s commitment to an inclusive and positive environment
and articulates the university’s expectations regarding acceptable and unacceptable
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