The #Unmuteconsent Campaign Launches in UCC
By News Editor Cormac McCarthy
TW – This article discusses issues of sexual violence and harassment.
The #Unmuteconsent campaign was launched on the 2nd of October by the Department of Higher Education with its primary aim being to increase students’ knowledge of the importance of consent and empowering students to be part of a difference in their community.
Sexual violence and harassment on and around higher education campuses has been a problem for many years and is often severely under-reported. This campaign hopes to mobilize the student community to speak out and give students confidence to challenge and change behaviours. This is a digital campaign that gives all students access to support structure, resources, and training.
At the launch on of the campaign, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD, said “education is the greatest tool to dismantling this culture that has crept into our society. We all have a role to play to ensure that we create a culture of zero tolerance, which will contribute to a change in attitudes and increased awareness. There is a particular responsibility on those charged with educating the next generation in ensuring that students and learners are equipped to lead the change across society.”
UCC and other higher education institutions are all currently implementing a wide range of measures withing the National Consent Framework. These measures include directly appointed Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Managers across all campuses; implementation of comprehensive services to ending sexual violence and harassment; extensive roll out of consent and bystander intervention training programs; enhancement of support structures available to those affected.
The campaign also encourages students to end the taboo around such a topic and to talk openly about such matters in an open and honest manner. This includes a wide range of initiatives from speaking out and reporting unacceptable behaviour to talking about consent and relationships in a positive and confident way.
The campaign has largely been informed by the findings the National Survey of Student Experiences of Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish HEIs (2021), and the Active Consent Sexual Experiences Survey (2020). This data is compiled from the surveying of nearly 8,000 students to provide a large national sample across, gender, sexual orientation, and year in college.
It was found that 72% of female students had experienced offensive sexist remarks, and 62% of students experienced unwanted attempts to establish a sexual relationship. Furthermore, about one fifth of students felt shy or lacked confidence in engaging in active, verbal consent. Half of the respondents (53%) agreed that they had heard other students discuss consent issues on campus while 30% disagreed with this statement.
At the launch, The HEA’s head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Sheena Duffy said, “We are delighted to support the third iteration of the #unmuteconsent campaign, which is an important element of the work ongoing across the higher education sector to address sexual violence and harassment. The campaign plays a vital role in signposting the crucial support services available to those who may need them”.
