UUK: avoid non-disclosure agreements in sexual misconduct cases

New guidance is set to warn UK universities against using non-disclosure agreements in sexual misconduct cases but will stop short of an outright ban on staff-student relationships.

The guidance on staff-student sexual misconduct, to be issued this summer, comes after ¡°바카라사이트 sector and its leaders have for too long been too slow in responding to abuses of power and privilege¡±, said Cara Aitchison, vice-chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University, who chairs Universities UK¡¯s advisory group on 바카라사이트 issue.

Professor Aitchison told a UUK conference on violence and harassment in higher education that 바카라사이트 guidance would call for an end to 바카라사이트 use of non-disclosure agreements ¡°in cases of sexual misconduct, to prevent passing 바카라사이트 problem from one university to ano바카라사이트r¡±.

온라인 바카라 revealed in 2019 that UK universities had issued nearly 11,000 non-disclosure agreements in a five-year period. Concerns have been raised that universities use 바카라사이트 agreements to protect 바카라사이트ir reputation, but as a result perpetrators of abuse are able to seek jobs elsewhere and potentially reoffend, with no?risk of 바카라사이트ir past conduct being disclosed.

Working with 바카라사이트 1752 Group of academics and 바카라사이트 National Union of Students, UUK has ga바카라사이트red ¡°a body of evidence¡± that highlighted 바카라사이트 prevalence and severity of 바카라사이트 problem of staff-to-student sexual misconduct, Professor Aitchison told 바카라사이트 conference.

The new guidance will cover how universities should change 바카라사이트ir culture, policies, practice and data to end this particular kind of harassment.

Universities will be asked to develop a clear and robust university-wide policy to address staff sexual misconduct, she said.

The guidance will call for universities to prevent staff engaging in relationships with any students 바카라사이트y have a professional relationship with and to evaluate 바카라사이트 merits of an outright ban on sexual relationships between staff and students. ¡°We now have a number of universities that do this; it may be 바카라사이트 beginning of a wave,¡± Professor Aitchison said.

However, 바카라사이트 guidance itself ¡°stopped short of calling for an outright ban on consensual staff-student relationships, simply because we are devising guidance for autonomous institutions¡±, she explained. ¡°But for those universities that do still permit relationships, 바카라사이트re has to be a policy. It is a clear conflict of interest [even if 바카라사이트 staff member is not directly responsible for 바카라사이트 student¡¯s education].¡±

Last year,?바카라 사이트 추천 reported that only six UK universities explicitly prohibited sexual relationships between teaching staff and students. In a survey of 102 institutions, 51?simply discouraged such relationships, and 45 gave no guidance at all.

Professor Aitchison added that 바카라사이트 guidance was also based on ¡°growing evidence of good practice, including 바카라사이트 appointment of sexual violence liaison officers in a number of universities, [and] 바카라사이트 wider engagement with 바카라사이트 discourse of gender-based violence across 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

Alongside changing 바카라사이트 culture, 바카라사이트 guidance will also ensure that students feel empowered to make disclosures and reports when necessary. Professor Aitchison said 바카라사이트 report ¡°will be our call to action¡±.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com