Written by Martina Farrugia and Essa Qasem
University of Malta together with the Gender Equality and Sexual Diversity Committee held a survey about sexual harassment at University. The survey received a great number of responses, with students and faculty members alike recounting their experiences on sexual harassment.
The survey received 72.4% replies from students, 14.5% of academics replied, and 13.1.% from admin and support. Within this survey, 68.4% of the replies were from females, 29.6% from males, and 2% from non-binary students and staff.
University shared their findings during a zoom meeting on ‘The killing of Paulina – The scourge of sexual and gender based violence’. Here, they not only showed the statistics of the survey, but also raised awareness about different forms of sexual harassment. The event showcased an important mission statement: Sexual Harassment is not always when someone is touched inappropriately, but also when sexual comments or gestures are made towards a person.
Furthermore, the study asked its participants if they consider the following statements to be sexual harassment or not:
| A person subjecting others to any conduct with sexual connotation that is unwelcome, perceived offensive, humiliating or even intimidating | 96.1% agreed |
| An individual subjecting other people to unwelcome physical intimacy or contact such as touching, hugging, or kissing | 95.2% agreed |
| Someone asking intrusive questions about a person’s private life or body, displaying unnecessary familiarity | 88.9% agreed |
| Someone requesting sexual favours from another | 85.1% agreed |
31% answered Yes to ‘Do you know of anybody who has suffered sexual harassment at University?‘, while 68.8% answered ‘No’. These findings shared in the event carry enormous benefits for students and faculty members; especially those with no direct experience with sexual harassment. Seeing that the majority of responders were women, we now have a clear guide to better educate ourselves in identifying signs of sexual harassment and reporting them.
Apart from the survey, focus groups and interviews were held to further gather information on the matter. From these interviews, it has been concluded that 3 out of 15 participants experienced physical sexual harassment, while the rest were all victims of catcalling. One participant stated being groped in the canteen, while others experienced harassment during student activities.
Potential victims
University highlighted students and faculty members alike who are more at risk of experiencing sexual harassment:
| Students | New students who are unaware they are being harassed or that a policy to help them exists, female students, LGTBIQ+, foreign students |
| Staff | Young female lecturers, young admin workers, especially those on probation. |
“It’s not all men”. Granted- it is not. We do not fear a man walking behind us for being a man, we fear that man walking behind us because we do not know who. But what has society done to address the fear?……We talk about what women should do, numerous comments that women should invest in self-defence classes, women should wear less provocative clothing when out for a run, women should pretend to be on their phone whilst walking alone at night- As if its a woman’s responsibility to not be raped and murdered.
Alex Gaglione, KSU’s Social Policy Officer, pointed out
Alex is absolutely on point. We do not fear a man walking behind us for being a man, we fear the Social Complacency and Cultural appropriation, which is the major issue. Men exercise their contemporary social right to catcall and harm. The enabling of this event is on its own a social Failure. The language and behaviour says it all. Social Systematic Sexism exists, enabling a dangerous mentality.
What to do when witnessing someone being harassed
- Check in – see if the target is okay
- Call it out – declare the statement of behaviour offensive and explain why
- Report – access incident reporting system or report to management
Should you or anyone you know fall victim to harassment, contact victimsupport.police@gov.mt for support and guidance.