The University of Essex does not tolerate any acts of sexual violence, harassment, or hate crime.
Zero tolerance means that we will take action and that the action will be proportionate to the circumstances of the case.
We recognise that the issue of sexual violence, harassment and hate crime is a global problem, but we are doing what we can to tackle it here – and are working hard to put a stop to it in our community.
In March our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anthony Forster, set out our commitment to being an inclusive community with a zero tolerance of hate crime and sexual violence.
Since then, work has progressed. Here’s an update of what we’ve achieved so far:
Progress on the Tackling Sexual Violence, Harassment and Hate Crime Project
We have a high level University Action Plan. Our Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jules Pretty, is the senior lead for this work, and the Director of Human Resources and the Academic Registrar are the people responsible for delivering the actions, all of which will be completed by the end of the academic year 2017–18.
A Project Officer has been appointed until July 2018 to support the implementation of the University’s Action Plan, and to work with colleagues from across the University and the Students’ Union to embed activity to shape the institutional culture in relation to sexual violence, harassment and hate crime.
Prevention
The university now offers bystander intervention awareness workshops. Bringing in the Bystander® is a bystander intervention workshop with a robust evidence-base. Rather than focusing strictly on the roles of perpetrator and victim, the highly interactive curriculum focuses on what you can do to intervene. It teaches bystanders how to safely intervene in instances where sexual violence, relationship violence or stalking may be occurring or where there may be risk that it will occur.
Book your place online now.
Watch our #ItEndsNow videos on YouTube and Vimeo
These workshops will help students, academics, professional services staff and community members to:
- IDENTIFY behaviours on a continuum of violence
- DEVELOP empathy for those who have experienced violence
- PRACTICE safe and appropriate intervention skills
- COMMIT to intervene before, during and after an incident of sexual abuse, relationship violence and stalking occurs
Read our guidelines for dealing with harassment and bullying.
Reporting and support
Contact itendsnow@essex.ac.uk for information and support. If an assault has just taken place and you are not in a safe place, feel at risk, or have any injuries that require urgent attention, call the emergency services on 999.
If you are on campus, please follow the guidance available online about emergency contacts.
If you are living in University accommodation on the Southend or Colchester campuses, Security can alert senior on-call Residence Life staff.