Universities to hire full-time staff to tackle sexual violence

The government has announced that universities will soon be granted help to tackle the issues of sexual violence and harrassment on campus.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, has shared that 17 new sexual violence and harassment prevention and response manager roles will soon be filled in universities and colleges across the country.

These jobs will revolve around collecting data to record the frequency of incidents, as well as the introduction of consent classes, and staff and student training to tackle sexual violence.

In 2020, Irish colleges were asked to outline their individual action plans, indicating how they intend to tackle issues such as inappropriate sexual behaviour, sexual harassment, and misconduct. After receiving these details, Minister Harris will now create a plan in response to each institution's ideas.

The announcement of these new roles comes after a report from the Higher Education Authority was published in January of this year, detailing worrying rates of sexual violence incidents that were being recorded across third-level institutions.

The report found that more than 1,100 students shared experiences linked with the legal description of rape. Of those surveyed, 7% of students said they had been forced into oral sex in the past.

The government aims to have the Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Higher Education Institutions plan fully developed by 2024. It will largely focus on educating staff and students, and offering support to those who need it.

“If we are to achieve zero tolerance though, we cannot stay still and must keep trying new ways to prevent sexual harassment and violence. That’s where this plan, developed by the experts, comes into play,” noted Minister Harris.

Rape Crisis Network Ireland have praised the hiring of new staff, and the implementation of the plan in general. 

“What we’ve heard from early on in tackling this problem on campuses is that what is needed is dedicated people working on this, as opposed to the volunteer staff members, working on top of their existing job, that we’ve mostly seen up until now,” explained Cliona Saidlear, the charity’s executive director.

“We do know that the 16-25 age group, particularly girls, is more vulnerable than any other category,” she added, highlighting the importance of these new measures.

If you have been affected by sexual violence, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre 24-hour helpline on 1800 77 8888, or on their webchat support at drcc.ie.