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Very proud that one of our incoming undergraduates, @existent_chaos, has spoken out about the harassment she has been subjected to and that she is quoted in this article. This is a short thread about institutions dealing with this kind of abuse. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-52785157">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-w...
I noticed that spokespeople for both the political parties referred to in the article said that their parties respond to allegations and complaints. I have to say that although this sounds admirable, it isn& #39;t enough to address this problem.
Although I have no connection with any political party in the UK, I have spent much of my career studying women in state militaries, where sexualised harassment and abuse is so extensive that a judge in the US described it as an occupational hazard. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/05/invisible-war-rape-not-occupational-hazard-serving-military">https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2...
Putting the onus on women (or people of colour, or members of religious groups) to come forward, name their accusers and go through a formal complaint process is profoundly unfair. It increases the burden placed on those who are already marginalised.
It also strengthens the conspiracy of silence that surrounds this kind of behaviour. Change has to involve changes to the institutional culture. This takes time and can be painful, but there are no shortcuts. The message has to come from the top and be reinforced consistently.
This is a lesson that we are learning in the university sector as well. There is a culture of laddishness, for want of a better term, on university campuses, including in the social spaces and on social media, that encourages unacceptable behaviour.
A lot of effort is going into addressing this culture and this behaviour, uniting students& #39; unions, academic departments and other structures in universities. So thank you @existent_chaos for having the courage to go public about your experiences.
