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ERAC SWGGRI on sexual harrassment

5.6.2020

The ERAC Standing Working Group on Gender in Research and Innovation calls on all stakeholders to take further concerted policy action to make the European Higher Education and Research Area a truly safe environment where all talents can thrive. SWGGRI published a policy brief with recommendations for main stakeholders of the European Higher Education and Research Area and the report that maps the strategies, measures, and actions at the national level that tackle sexual harassment in Member States and Associated Countries on 3rd June.

Although the #MeToo movement has put the question of gender-based violence and sexual harassment in academia higher up on the agenda in several of the Member States and Associated Countries, knowledge and acknowledgment of these issues remain weak. To sum up:

  • Gender-based violence in academia is, with a few exceptions, an unrecognized issue and an underdeveloped field of knowledge at the national level in the European Research Area.
  • In general, a cohesive infrastructure for tackling gender-based violence in academia in the Member States and Associated Countries is missing. There is a prominent lack of relevant policies, legislation/regulations, responsible authorities, and up-to-date data.
  • No country has done a sufficient level of work to combat gender-based violence in higher education. Only a few countries have introduced cohesive measures and activities that may be able to achieve institutional change.
  • Whether and how the issue is addressed varies amongst the countries. The kinds of activities and measures in place, the allocation of financial incentives, and the existence of relevant infrastructures also differ significantly.
  • The higher risk of victimization for internationally mobile researchers is not recognized, not in the ongoing work against gender-based violence in academia or in the ongoing work on academic mobility at the national or EU level.

 

Download the report: Sexual Harassment in the Research and Higher Education Sector: National Policies and Measures in EU Member States and Associated Countries

Download the policy brief with recommendations: Policy brief: Mobilising to eradicate gender-based violence and sexual harassment. A new impetus for gender equality in the ERA