Ending Sexual Harassment and Violence in Third Level Education (ESHTE)
Our Aim:
To prevent and combat sexual harassment and violence and build a culture of zero tolerance in third level institutions throughout Europe through building a feminist understanding and analysis of the causes and effects of sexual harassment and violence.
Our Vision:
Women students have the right to live and study in an environment free from all forms of sexual harassment and violence. They must be supported and empowered and should have trust in their institution to uphold their rights.
Who is working together?
The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) is leading the ESHTE project with project partners Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) in Cyprus, The Women’s Issues Information Centre (WIIC) in Lithuania, Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) and The Women’s Equality Commissioner, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich in Germany. Each project partner is working with higher education institutions, both staff and students, statutory agencies and NGO’s focused on combatting sexual violence and harassment against women. The project is funded by the European Commission: Directorate-General, Justice & Consumers: Daphne III. For more on the Project’s core partners click here.
How will we do this work?
The It Stops Now campaign will raise awareness of the prevalence of gender-based harassment and violence in third level education and seeks to engage both staff and students to combat all forms of harassment and violence against women students. We will work to ensure there is a coherent framework driving clear reporting and disclosure mechanisms, resourcing strong support services and ensuring long-term, sustainable interventions.Watch our campaign video
National Advisory Committee (NAC)
As part of the ESHTE Project, The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) has set up a National Advisory Committee that will support the development of project outputs and their dissemination.
Members of the National Advisory Committee:
National Women’s Council of Ireland (lead)
Student Unions
- Dublin City University SU
- Dublin Institute of Technology SU
- Dundalk Institute of Technology SU
- Institute of Art Design and Technology Dún Laoghaire SU
- Queen’s University Belfast SU
- Trinity College Dublin SU
- University College Cork SU
- University College Dublin SU
- University of Limerick SU
- Union of Students of Ireland
Statutory
- An Garda Síochána
- Cosc- National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence
Higher Education Institutions
- Dublin City University
- Dublin Institute of Technology
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Institute of Art Design and Technology Dún Laoghaire
- Queen’s University Belfast
- Trinity College Dublin
- University College Cork
- University College Dublin
- University of Limerick
Non-Governmental and Support Organisations
- Dublin Rape Crisis Centre
- Sexual Violence Centre Cork
- Irish Observatory on Violence Against Women
- Irish Student Health Association
- Confederation of Student Services in Ireland
Partners
The National Women’s Council of Ireland is the lead partner on the ESHTE Project and is the largest national women’s membership organisation in Ireland. We represent and derive our mandate from our membership, which includes over 180 groups and organisations from a diversity of backgrounds, sectors and locations across Ireland. The NWCI develops public policy initiatives and advocates for gender equality. Our current policy focus includes:
- Promoting Women in Leadership
- Realising Women's Right to Health
- Ensuring Women's Economic Independence
- Recognising the importance of Care and Care Work
- Working with Young Women - #FemFest
- Ending Violence against Women
Our mission is to lead and to be a catalyst for change in the achievement of equality for women. Our vision is of an Ireland and of a world where women can achieve their full potential and there is full equality for women.
The NWCI convenes the Irish Observatory on Violence against Women. The Observatory is an independent network of grassroots and national organisations that come together quarterly to monitor progress on violence against women in Ireland.
The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) is a non-profit organisation which promotes and contributes to projects of social, political, and economic themes relating to gender with an emphasis on the Mediterranean region.
The Institute recognises the multi-layered levels of discrimination against women and accepts that this discrimination takes different forms. It is committed to the elimination of this discrimination using a combination of research, advocacy and lobbying, as well as trainings, conferences, and other activities.
Through its projects MIGS has established expertise in project management and administration including the drafting of technical and financial proposals, the implementation and supervision of activities including research and training, as well as the conceptual and logistical organisation of events such as conferences, seminars, workshops, press conferences, awareness campaigns and others. MIGS has also acquired substantial knowledge of the rules and regulations of various EU funding bodies, particularly the European Commission.
MIGS Cyprus is working in partnership with the University of Nicosia on the ESHTE Project
Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) is the national office for local Rape Crisis centres across Scotland. We work to:
- Raise awareness of the extent and nature of sexual violence, challenge myths and prejudicial attitudes towards survivors.
- Support the work of local Rape Crisis centres and develop new services in areas with no or few specialised services for survivors.
- Coordinate a national sexual violence prevention programme reaching 13 000 young people each year.
- Work in partnership to improve organisational responses to sexual violence
- Improve legislation and the criminal justice response to sexual violence
- Ensure survivors have access to responsive high quality support through the provision of the National Helpline and the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre
Rape Crisis Scotland is working in partnership with the University of Glasgow, Scotland and Glasgow Caledonian University on the ESHTE Project.
The Women’s Issues Information Centre’s mission is to educate Lithuanian society on gender equality, to influence gender equality policies and to promote its development in Lithuania.
Goals of the Women`s Issues Information Centre:
- Seek equal rights and opportunities for women and men in Lithuania
- Improve women’s position in social and private lives
- Develop gender equality environment
Main programs of WIIC activities:
- Combatting Violence against women
- Reconciliation of family and work responsibilities
- Public education
- Promotion of women in business
WIIC has been working on violence against women since 1996, initiating major national and international public campaigns. The Centre cooperates with police, social workers and other stakeholder institutions in Lithuania and abroad. WIIC also provides free legal aid to woman.
We work with victims of violence on an everyday basis. Our experience of work with vulnerable women will contribute to the overall aim of the project and we hope to gain more knowledge and learning through our partnerships.
The WIIC is working in partnership with Šiauliai University, Lithuania on the ESHTE Project.
The Office of the Women’s Representative is supporting the university’s efforts to avoid disadvantages for female scientists and students and to actually enforcing the gender equality of women and men. Through policy briefs, recommendations and plans it exerts influence on the political gender equality discussion at universities in Bavaria and beyond.
The Women’s Representative among other activities, provides advice to all LMU women scientists and students on equality and gender issues, advice on careers, maternity and parental leave contract extensions, opportunities for grant/financial support and advice on childcare and work-life balance, discrimination and sexual harassment in the academic world. The office conducts gender research and contributes to national political hearings on equality issues affecting for instance, law and science.
Dr Margit Weber is the representative for the ESHTE Project and has been the Women's Representative of the LMU since 2006. In 2016 she took up her sixth term as University Women's Representative and is also Chairperson of the Conference of Women’s Representatives covering Bavarian universities.
Activity Timeline
- ESHTE Project start date
- Meeting of the European Union (EU) Project Steering Group in Dublin
- First meeting of Ireland's National Advisory Committee (NAC) for the project
- Meeting of the NAC in Dublin
- Launch of the ESHTE review of data on the prevalence of sexual violence and harassment of women students in higher education
- Hosting of Irish student campaign focus group
- Recruitment for ESHTE staff and student focus groups
- Meeting of EU Project Steering Group in Brussels
- Hosting of ESHTE staff and student focus groups
- Launch of 'It Stops Now' website
- Meeting of EU Project Steering Group in Brussels
- Hosting of 'It Stops Now' campaign development session with student representatives in Dublin
- Release of first ESHTE webinar on online harassment
- Holding of NAC meeting
- Release of 'It Stops Now' campaign video
- Sharing of second ESHTE webinar on bystander intervention initiaitives
- Dissemination of campaign stickers to higher education institutes and partners
- Holding of NAC meeting
- Dissemination of 'It Stops Now' campaign posters to higher education institutes and partners
- Holding of consent workshops at FemFest 2019
- Completion of It Stops Now Toolkit
- Release of third ESHTE webinar on sexual violence and the law
- Hosting of ESHTE conference in Dublin
- Launch of It Stops Now Toolkit
- Completion of full project report
