Violence and harassment platform for higher education institutions launched

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin endured two years of repeated sexual harassment by a former colleague at UCD. File picture

A new violence and harassment reporting platform has been launched for the country's higher education institutions.

The ‘Speak Out’ initiative provides an online and anonymous reporting platform for incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, hate crime, coercive behaviour and control, stalking, assault, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape.

It will be formally launched on Tuesday by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, and will be introduced in 18 higher education institutions throughout the academic year for students, staff and visitors.

Mr Harris said he was delighted to launch what he described as an “incredibly important initiative”.

“The creation of this innovative and supportive online platform will provide a safe and anonymous medium for students and staff to report incidents of bullying, assault or sexual violence in a trauma-informed environment,” he said.

“These are issues that my department is acutely aware of, and I’m delighted we could provide funding for this vital project.” 

The minister warned last December that higher education institutions need to do more to tackle sexual harassment in the wake of Professor Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin's revelations the previous September that she had endured two years of repeated sexual harassment by a former colleague at UCD.

The lecturer and broadcaster said the experience had left her living in fear and that she was frightened of being alone on campus and unnerved almost to the point of abandoning her successful academic career.

She said she decided to go public about her experience in the hope that the issue would be tackled in a systemic way.

Zero-tolerance approach

Mr Harris subsequently met her to discuss the issue and he promised a zero-tolerance approach.

He said there could not be a repeat of a sexual harassment case like Prof Ní Shúilleabháin's if universities were to receive increased funding.

The head of student counselling at Munster Technological University’s Cork campus, Dr Honor Carroll, said the Speak Out project had been in development for some time.

“We are delighted that the students and staff of MTU now have a platform on which to report incidents of concern and we, in turn, look forward to tailoring supports and services to meet their needs,” she said.

“We would encourage staff and students to use the Speak Out reporting tool and we thank all who had a hand in bringing Speak Out and its ethos to fruition.” 

Speak Out represents a national approach to tackling these issues by raising awareness, and by providing a means of recording instances, which will assist in achieving a zero-tolerance culture, she said.

The project, led by the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland (PCHEI), and funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, will be introduced over the coming months.