The relatively low number of formal complaints distorts the reality of transgressive behaviour in tertiary education, government commissioner Hamer cautions. Photo Shutterstock Sexually transgressive behaviour is more rampant than universities and colleges realise, Mariëtte Hamer, government commissioner for sexually transgressive behaviour and sexual violence, cautions. She calls for ‘sex and relationship education’ to be permanently included in the curriculum for all first-year students to start with. She also argues that the positions of PhD students and postdocs must be strengthened.
Hamer bases her new recommendations on talks with victims and perpetrators of sexually transgressive behaviour and sexual violence in tertiary education. She also talked with students, experts and representatives of universities and universities of applied sciences.
In the recommendations published today, she lists the issues in higher education. There are relatively few formal complaints (300 in 2022), and that, she states, is not representative of the real situation. She calls the ‘discrepancy between the number of complaints and (estimated) actual incidents concerning’. As stated in her letter to the cabinet: ‘Half of all women between the ages of 18 and 24 have experienced some form of sexually transgressive behaviour in the previous year.’
Responses to complaints are frequently procedural or legal in nature. There is minimal or no care for the victims
This transgressive behaviour often occurs beyond the walls of the university or college but also within the institute, or the perpetrators are fellow students, making the issue an issue pertaining to the institute itself. All of this is not visible due to the limited number of formal complaints.
Responses to complaints are frequently procedural or legal in nature. There is ‘minimal or no’ care for the victims, Hamer writes. As a result, complaint procedures often do the victims more harm than good.
Moreover, all manner of circumstances increase the risk of problems, such as a strong hierarchy, for example, one-on-one working situations, insecurity due to temporary contracts, high work pressure or heated competition. PhD students and postdocs are affected the most at universities, Hamer concludes.
Postdocs and PhDs
In short, she recommends training, awareness, supervision, duty of care, dialogues and risk analyses to achieve a change in culture. The topic of ‘sex and relationship education’ should be permanently included in all programme curricula, and the positions of PhD students and postdocs must be fortified.
How much time such classes, dialogues, and supervision should take is not the issue, Hamer states in an interview with Hoger Onderwijs Persbureau. ‘Addressing issues that could have been prevented is now also taking up time. The institutes stand to lose talented scientists if these problems persist.’
Still, meetings and classes must be added to the schedule. Hamer says sex-ed could be included in the first year. ‘That is when students start experimenting. They are still developing. Preparing these classes need not take up a lot of time; there are many initiatives that programmes can borrow from each other.’
And what about all the meetings for employees and the training they are to follow? Naturally, a shift in culture takes time in the beginning, Hamer agrees. ‘And, once you have discussed desired behaviour (something WUR did using, among other approaches, the MindLab performances, ed.), it still needs to become part of your DNA. And then you need to revisit the issue to check things are still going well.’
No longer acceptable
Working together properly must, ultimately, become a habit, Hamer says. When that is the case, it will no longer cost time because transgressive behaviour, such as belittling someone, is simply no longer acceptable.
Universities and colleges must realise that it takes more than simply formulating procedures
And what about complaints procedures? Universities and colleges must realise that it takes more than simply formulating procedures, Hamer underscores. ‘Care after the incident is essential. Complaints procedures must contribute to a cultural change, rather than demotivate.’
The cabinet that created her position has since fallen, but Hamer does not expect the fight against sexually transgressive behaviour to suffer as a result. ‘This is a subject that is not linked to any political position. No one wants to sweep these issues under the carpet.’
