The document discusses good practices for supporting university students who disclose experiences of sexual violence. It provides recommendations for listening without judgment, helping the student process their thoughts and options, and connecting them to support resources. However, it notes that few students actually report such experiences to universities or support organizations. At the Public University of Navarre in Spain, the Equality Unit and new protocol on harassment aim to establish practices for prevention, but challenges remain in fully implementing and publicizing the protocol. Trained professionals, confidential spaces, coordination, and awareness efforts could help students disclose and receive support.

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SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN
UNIVERSITIES – LEARNING FROM PAN-EUROPEAN
PRACTICE
PANEL “Good practice in supporting students disclosing sexual violence”
Izaskun Andueza Imirizaldu

2. Act of Sexual
Violence
Act of
Revealing
Support
Support
Good Practices
Supporting students disclousing SV

3. Some recommendations
for supporting students.
• Offer an adequate space to talk
• Generate a climate of confidence and security
• Listen to the person actively but without forcing her to say more
than what she wants.
• Help her thinking and ordering her ideas
• Try to make it possible for the person to formulate possible actions.
• Strengthen the support network and look for sensitized allied
people.
• Inform about resources, services, specific networks and how to
access them.
• Inform about the importance of persevering possible evidences.
• Always maintain a self-reflective attitude to avoid justification,
minimize, normalize or tolerate sexual violence.

4. Some recommendations
for supporting students.
• There is a small trap.
• That´s not so easy in practice!
“The majority of the female victims of violence do not report their
experiences either to the police or to an organisation that supports
victims of this type of offences” (FRA, 2014).
• No student has revealed, that has suffered Sexist Violence.
• No possibility of applying these wonderful recommendations.
• We can reflect and learn from our experiences.

5. Context
Act of Sexual
Violence
DisclousingSupport
Interactive process
Good Practices
Supporting students disclousing SV

6. Good Practices
Supporting students disclousing SV
Context
Act of Sexual
Violence
DisclousingSupport
- What is considered as SV by
the actors & student?
- Who are the victims and the
guilties?
- What can we do with
students to help identifying
SV?
- When do we consider that
the victim has disclosured?
When she disclousses to a
friend, to a professional?
- Who do the student talk
with about these issues?
- How can we be close to
students to listen and help?
- Who gives the support?
- What kind of support?
- When is the support given?

7. Good Practices
Supporting students disclousing SV
From our specific context
(Public University of Navarre)…
Have we got any “good practices” in a wider
sence of supporting students disclousing SV?

9. Navarre
Pamplona -iruña

10. Context
• Public
• Young (30 years)
• Small
• 8.043 students, official courses
• 885 Teaching and Researching staff
• 456 Administration and Service Staff
• 197 research staff
9.581 at University
84% Student
• 3 campuses

15. Context
• Public
• Young
• Small
• 3 campuses
• Wide range of services

17. Context
• Public
• Young
• Small
• 3 campuses
• Wide range of services
• Equality Unit

18. Equality Unit
• Since 2009
• In cumpliance with state legislation (O.L. 4/2007)
“Universities will have equal units in their structure”
• “Contribute to the eradication of gender violence,
harassment and abuse due to gender in the
university environment”
• Protocol for the prevention, detection and action in
cases of psychological harassment, sexual
harassment and harassment based on sex

19. Context
• Public
• Young
• Small
• 3 campuses
• Wide range of services
• Equality Unit
• Protocol

20. Protocol (opportunities)
• Important tool
• Sexual harashment and harashment based on
sex
• Its scope of application:
• Student
• All staff
• All people participating at university facilities.
• No complaint requiered
• First warm reception phase

21. Protocol (limits)
• 1 year ago.
• Arosed as the result of a labor inspection
Equality Law (O.L 4/2007): requires the implementation of measures to
prevent sexual harassment and basen on sex. (48 art.).
• Hard and long process of writting
• Dissagreements with rectoral team
• Not sanctions or penalties
• Almost “invisible on the web”
• Not with other normative
• Not in the Human Resources section
• Not in the risk prevention section.
• Dissemination roadmap not followed
• Unknown by the community.

22. Context
• Public
• Young
• Small
• 3 campuses
• Wide range of services
• Equality Unit
• Protocol (limits and opportunities)
• Political resistence. Lack of sensitivity and interest
• Imagination and creativity requiered

23. • Trained and ready Professionals
• Proper space:
• Close to students à in the campus and in fiestas!
• Confidenciality guaranteed
• Good coordination among professionals (equality technical,
psychologist, social workers, doctor, nurse)
• No complaint requiered
• First warm reception phase
• Working on prevention and training
• They are training students in colaboration with teaching staff (gender
violence courses in social work, sociology, etc. But also transversal – IDE).
à a kind of support among students (first step).
• Awareness campaigns.
Good Practices
Supporting students disclousing SV at UPNA

25. Eskerrik asko!
Thank you very much!
Gràcies!
ευχαριστώ πολύ!
Molto grazie!
Merci!