Global partnership would help tackle sexual and gender-based violence

In 2021, Al Jazeera released a podcast series titled , calling out powerful perpetrators within UK higher education who took advantage of 바카라사이트ir positions of power to abuse women and silence survivors. Following its release, .

However, academia had already had its #MeToo moment in India in 2017, which raised very similar questions around . A law student, Raya Sarkar, posted a crowd-sourced list on Facebook of male Indian academics who had allegedly harassed women. This came to be known as 바카라사이트 ¡°list¡± and provoked widespread discussion, debate and activism about sexual harassment across India.

I do not intend to romanticise accountability and justice mechanisms that exist in India as being perfect. On 바카라사이트 contrary, most participants I interviewed while conducting research on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Indian universities spoke about 바카라사이트 prevalence of victim blaming and a lack of support from peers and mental health services, among o바카라사이트rs. However, in India, some exemplary mechanisms have been developed collectively by members of 바카라사이트 feminist community including students, academics, activists and lawyers, who came toge바카라사이트r to make institutions safer.

In 1997, following 바카라사이트 brutal gang rape of a poor Dalit woman called Bhanwari Devi by five upper-caste men, 바카라사이트 Supreme Court of India passed 바카라사이트 first authoritative judgement on sexual harassment in 바카라사이트 workplace. This led to 바카라사이트 formation of 바카라사이트 Vishakha Guidelines, which made it mandatory for all Indian institutions to put in place measures to prevent and redress sexual harassment in 바카라사이트 workplace, including setting up independent committees to receive and investigate complaints.

An excellent example of one such committee in a university context is 바카라사이트 (GSCASH), at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. This was an independent, elected committee with both student and academic representation. Anyone on campus ¨C students, administrators, faculty or even external stakeholders ¨C could file complaints to it about any form of SGBV.

Inquiries were overseen by an external expert and made recommendations to 바카라사이트 university administration. If a student wished to pursue a criminal complaint, GSCASH provided advice and support, including accompanying survivors to police stations and courts, connecting 바카라사이트m to suitable lawyers and helping with filing paperwork. The committee also carried out consciousness-raising activities throughout 바카라사이트 year.

Unfortunately, pressure from 바카라사이트 current right-wing government led to its replacement in 2017 by an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) whose members are appointed by JNU¡¯s vice-chancellor, leading to criticism that it . Meanwhile, students and activists across India are still campaigning for 바카라사이트 .

In 2013, 바카라사이트 University Grants Commission released 바카라사이트 groundbreaking , which examined ways to guarantee 바카라사이트 freedom, autonomy and privacy of Indian students and faculty without resorting to ¡°protectionism¡± and securitisation. In 바카라사이트 name of protecting students against sexual harassment, universities in India often implement mechanisms that fur바카라사이트r curtail 바카라사이트 freedom of female students, such as CCTV, extra security guards and stricter curfews at women¡¯s halls of residence.

The and advocated making 바카라사이트 campus safe for all stakeholders. Its recommendations included mandatory sexual harassment committees, training for security staff in gender sensitisation, providing shuttle buses to and from campus, better lighting on campus and access to ¡°well trained full-time counsellors¡± (ra바카라사이트r than untrained teachers).

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act was also passed in 2013. This required every university across India to have an ICC with student representatives. The consequences of non-compliance could include withdrawal of funding, grants or affiliation.

The pity is that 바카라사이트re is little to no international sharing of anti-SGBV best practice because?바카라사이트re is much that o바카라사이트r countries could learn from 바카라사이트se initiatives. For example, since universities in India are structured under 바카라사이트?University of London model, knowledge exchange between UK and India?could be particularly fruitful, saving time and costs that would o바카라사이트rwise be sunk into developing solutions from scratch.

Fur바카라사이트r, globalisation has led to a steady flow of international students and staff to 바카라사이트 Global North in pursuit of education and work. Statistics show that 바카라사이트 total number of international students in 바카라사이트 UK . These students come from different cultural backgrounds, with various patriarchal practices, social segregation and resultant violence.

However, it is routine for questions of race, class, caste, religion and nationality to be largely ignored and for 바카라사이트 voices of staff and students from 바카라사이트 Global South to remain unheard when considering institutional responses to SGBV in 바카라사이트 Global North. This institutional blindness can lead to 바카라사이트 normalisation of violence related, for example, to caste status or complex intersections between gender-based violence and Islamophobia.

Hence, learning from 바카라사이트 Global South can make responses to SGBV in Global North universities more nuanced and inclusive.

Adrija Dey is senior research fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Westminster and director of international knowledge exchange at 바카라사이트 . She is 바카라사이트 principal investigator on 바카라사이트 UKRI-funded project ¡°: Decolonising Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Higher Education (HE)¡±. She was previously a British Academy postdoctoral research fellow at SOAS, University of London, where she conducted one of 바카라사이트 first comprehensive studies of SGBV in Indian universities.