HES-SO survey on sexual and gender-based harassment
HES-SO has made preventing and combating sexual and gender-based harassment a priority. In this context, the decision was made to carry out a wide-ranging survey among its members to better understand the reality of gender-based harassment within its community and to assess the effectiveness of existing measures.
HES-SO commissioned the research institute MIS Trend to conduct a survey among all students (Bachelor, Master and continuing education) and staff, including temporary staff - a total of around 42,000 people.
The questions concerned their exposure as a victim or witness to sexual and gender-based harassment ranging from degrading or sexist remarks to attempted rape and rape. The survey asked whether the respondents had experienced or witnessed these situations in the last 12 months or previously (without a time limit). The questions also allowed respondents to specify the contexts in which these situations took place, both within and outside HES-SO, and assessed the understanding and effectiveness of measures put in place to prevent and combat gender-based harassment in the schools.
Actions to better prevent and combat sexual and gender-based harassment
HES-SO intends to use the survey results to strengthen and better target its measures:
- Concrete measures will focus on students, who are the main victims of these acts as the survey shows. At the start of each academic year, systematic prevention and awareness-raising actions, a reminder of the institution's zero tolerance policy towards such behaviour, as well as increased information about the systems for gathering evidence and for counselling will be carried out.
- HES-SO will collaborate with the Federation of Student Associations to train its Federation members in preventing and combating sexual and gender-based harassment so that they can provide additional support to students.
- For schools staff, the number of training courses on sexual and gender-based harassment in HES-SO’s professional development centre (DEVPRO) will be increased. The schools will ensure a greater participation by their staff.
- HES-SO will strongly emphasise to its community the civil, criminal and academic normative framework and the available measures to address and punish cases of harassment.
Work will start immediately, and all measures will be implemented by the start of the 2025 academic year to become systematic thereafter. In order to measure the evolution of the phenomenon and the relevance of the measures taken, the study will be repeated in 2027.