New YUSU campaign to tackle sexual harassment

Welfare Officer Bob Hughes is introducing a "Zero Tolerance" campaign, aimed at tackling sexual harassment on and around campus.

The campaign aims to achieve NUS accreditation for YUSU as a union with a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment. Currently, the University does not have a specific sexual harassment policy.

The project, detailed on his YUSU blog, includes plans to promote awareness of what harassment is, encourage the reporting of incidents, training for University and YUSU staff, and the improvement of incident reporting systems within the University.

This "Zero Tolerance" campaign is working in conjunction with local bars and clubs, NUS, both YUSU's Women's Committee and the University's Equality and Diversity Office and local Police Community Support Officers.

A 2010 NUS study, Hidden Marks, found that 68% of female students had experienced some kind of verbal or non-verbal harassment in and around their institutions.

According to the report, students were generally unlikely to report any incidents. The report recommends a zero-tolerance approach to all levels of sexual harassment, as this would "send out a strong signal to both staff and students that such behaviour is unacceptable both within and outside of the learning environment".

The Equality and Diversity Office received no allegations of sexual harassment during the reporting period 1st September 2011 to 31st May 2012.