Student associations do too little to combat sexual misconduct, survey shows

Student associations are doing too little to address sexually assaultive behavior, according to a Pointer survey. The television program reported that the survey, which examined 96 student associations, found that one in five associations does not have a confidential person, nor, in more than 48 student associations, does it mention sexually assaultive behavior in its internal regulations or bylaws.

Part of the problem is that fraternities change their board annually and are generally run by young and inexperienced people who are not properly trained for such situations, thinks Julienne Beijer of Sexmatters, who gives training to student associations.

Accordingly, this also leads to sexually transgressive behavior becoming more ubiquitous for students. This is also confirmed by a study by Amesty International Nederland, which found that one third of female students are sexually assaulted. Furthermore, at least 11 percent of female and 1 percent of male students are raped during their studies.

For researcher Marijke Naezer, who co-wrote a study on misconduct and harassment within universities, it is still a problem that many measures are still voluntary. “That is really unbelievable when you see how big the problem is. The effect is that people who need measures most are not involved. People who may be inclined to transgressive behavior don't come to such a course,” she told Pointer.

For example, there recently was a scandal in Utrecht's student association Veritas, where sexist and homophobic Whatsapp messages were leaked. However, the university did not take much action and waited to see what solutions the student associations would find, Naezer told the television program.

“I think that educational institutions can play a much bigger role in this than they do now,” Naezer explained in an interview with Pointer.

In her opinion, student organizations can be pressured by universities to change in this respect, since they are partly financed by educational institutions, reported the television program.