Sexual harassment and violence is something many women around the world deal with every day, and anything that can be done to stop it is truly a positive step in the right direction. So today we're tipping our hats to the National Women's Council of Ireland who just announced their new It Stops Now campaign across Irish colleges.
According to NWCI, over 30 per cent of students in Ireland reported feeling sexually harassed or intimidated while at college, and 16 per cent of students have experienced some form of unwanted sexual experience.
At today's launch, the organisation highlighted the importance of building a culture of zero tolerance of sexual harassment and violence in third level institutions.
The participating colleges in Ireland include DCU, UL, UCC, UCD, IADT and DkIT.
Orla O’Connor, Director of NWCI said, “There is a high prevalence of sexual harassment and violence experienced by women in third level education. We know that third level education can be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in a person’s life, but unfortunately sexual harassment and violence is an issue that too many women are forced to contend with. We need a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment and violence in our third level institutions.”
“Sexual harassment and violence reinforces women’s inequality and violates women’s dignity. It can prevent women’s participation in college life, and put their safety at risk. Sexual harassment is more prevalent against women from marginalised groups, such as migrant women and women with disabilities. This will be a particular focus of “It Stops Now.”
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The It Stops Now campaign will bring NWCI to colleges in order to stop sexual violence and harassment through workshops, support services, to "ensure long-term, sustainable interventions and institutional change".
Awesome. Anything that promotes a safe environment for students is something we can get behind. What do you think about the campaign?
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