One in three individuals either studying or working in French-speaking higher education in Belgium have experienced harassment, according to a groundbreaking study on violence in the sector, Le Soir reports on Tuesday.
The study found that, among the 13,000 respondents, 33.8% of students, doctoral candidates and staff members have endured moral harassment from another person within their institution.
Furthermore, 8.4% reported being victims of violence or cyber-violence, 29.7% of sexist and sexual violence, 27% of sexist harassment, and 14.9% of unwanted sexual behaviour. A lesser 1.8% were subjected to sexual blackmail for professional or academic advancements, with 1.3% suffering rape.
Within the student population, harassment and violence commonly occur among peers, but 40% indicated that they were morally harassed by a teacher.
21.2% of the victims confessed to having consumed alcohol during these incidents. Meanwhile, 24.7% believe the perpetrator had consumed alcohol, but 20.2% couldn't confirm this. Whilst alcohol can be seen as a risk factor, the majority of unwanted sexual behaviours occur outside an alcohol-fuelled environment.
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Except for moral harassment, the majority of the perpetrators were male. Françoise Bertieaux (MR), the Minister for Higher Education, suggests a systemic educational shortcoming.
"There is a persistent educational issue in the upbringing of boys, who then grow into men," she contends. "Higher education institutions can implement measures up to and including sanctions as necessary. But beyond that, there is a massive educational task to undertake."
