Student associations promise to prevent bad behavior, improve social safety
Student organizations promise to do more against sexually transgressive behavior and to intervene more quickly if there are reports of this. Government Commissioner Mariette Hamer and 11 interest groups of students at universities of applied sciences, universities, and secondary vocational education courses will sign a pact of 30 agreements on Thursday. Among other things, they promise to appoint confidential advisers and ensure they are well prepared for a report of a criminal offense like rape or assault.
“Again and again, the numbers touch us deeply,” said Hamer. Two out of three students have experienced sexually transgressive behavior during their student days, the universities of Leiden, Delft, Rotterdam, and Maastricht previously reported based on research. One in ten female students has been raped.
The Government Commissioner for Sexually Transgressive Behavior and Sexual Violence has drawn up the pact with a leading group of 11 organizations, including the student association L.S.V. Minerva and the interest groups National Chamber of Associations (LKvV) and JOB mbo. Now, other student clubs will also have the opportunity to view the agreements and sign them. Hamer hopes that they will do so en masse.
Hamer noted that student organizations recognize the problem and are motivated to solve it but often don’t know how. “In addition, student boards change every year, so retaining knowledge is difficult.” She hopes the agreements will change this. The aim is not only to intervene if things go wrong but make the subject a topic for discussion.
Student clubs will have a lot of work to do if they join the pact. They promise, among other things, to train board members to recognize transgressive behavior and deal with reports. Signatories promise to record how reports will be handled in a procedure together with their members. The pact also states that the student organizations will contact aid organizations like the Center for Sexual Violence and the local GGD. In addition, they must ensure that members know what these organizations do and how they can help.
On Thursday afternoon, Hamer and the 11 student organizations will sign the pact in the Social Impact Factory in Utrecht. Outgoing Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education, Culture, and Science) will also be present.
Universities, student union pleased
The fact that student organizations promise to do more against sexually transgressive behavior is a good development, according to the Universities of the Netherlands, the umbrella organization for the 14 universities. “Any form of undesirable behavior, such as sexual or other forms of harassment, aggression, bullying, or discrimination, is unacceptable for Dutch universities. Students must feel safe during their studies and student days, both inside and outside the university,” the association said.
The agreements give students and their organizations “concrete tools,” according to the Universities of the Netherlands. “The universities attach great importance to a socially safe environment, and any incident of transgressive behavior is one too many.”
Student organizations “often don’t have the right resources to effectively tackle sexually transgressive behavior,” president Elise Weehiuzen of the national student union LSVb said. “When a student experiences sexually transgressive behavior or sexual violence, they are in an extremely vulnerable position,” said the chairman. “Until now, it was often unclear to them and student organizations what steps they could take. That is why this pact is so essential.”
Weerhuizen is “very hopeful that people will take up this pact” because student organizations “need to know more about the subject.” Weerhuizen hopes that because of the “very concrete” guidelines of the pact, students and student organizations will know “what kind of reporting and complaints procedures there are and who you can turn to for aftercare.” Prevention is also essential, she said. “Student organizations must also know what to do to organize a safe party.”
