75 reports of sexual harassment in colleges and universities made in five years

Higher education institutions have been accused of not doing enough to tackle sexual harassment on campus. File picture.

Ten students and staff members have been fined, suspended or expelled from colleges following sexual harassment allegations over five years.

There have been 75 reports made to Irish colleges and universities between 2015 and 2020, according to Freedom of Information figures.

Irish colleges have spent €170,000 on legal costs and investigation costs relating to sexual harassment during this five-year period.

They all insist no student or staff member has been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) following an allegation.

However, this claim is disputed by independent senator Lynn Ruane who said they have reports from students and academic staff of being asked to sign an NDA or have signed versions of NDAs.

While many colleges have now introduced consent classes and anonymous reporting tools as part of efforts to tackle the problem, higher education institutes have been accused of not doing enough.

Noeline Blackwell, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, says many cases have been going unreported.

More than half of the participants in a recent survey from the Higher Education Authority said they had experienced examples of sexual harassment such as repeatedly being told offensive sexual stories or jokes (54%), unwelcome attempts at being drawn into a discussion of sexual matters (58%), or offensive remarks about appearance, body or sexual activities (57%).

Some students may feel it is better to just move on while others have questioned what the consequences would be for them if they reported an incident of sexual harassment, said Ms Blackwell.

"We heard about the students and the staff who were subjected to sexual harassment and abuse but until recently there was very little institutional attention on how poor the systems were for dealing with it," she said.

Maeve, a student in Cork, says harassment is a common experience for a lot of people who go to college.

While the individual incidents may be considered small, Maeve says it is indicative of the culture found in colleges around the country.

"I suppose, incidents where it seems at the time that maybe it's quite small - maybe it's just a catcall or inappropriate grabbing on a night out.

"But I do think over the years, you come to realise that all of these small acts don't exist in a vacuum. They do contribute to a culture where people think that this is ok."