Preventing and contrasting gender-based violence and sexual harassment. The role of universities and their equal opportunities bodies

This work deals with the topic of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual harassment in the academic context, a phenomenon that is sadly widespread but poorly reported, which has increasingly emerged as a result of the international ‘Me Too’ movement, leading to an increase in the number of cases of allegations. Considering Italy’s backwardness in terms of gender equality, it was decided to focus the analysis on the Italian academic context. This work is specifically aimed at examining what the role of universities and their Equality Opportunity Bodies can be in preventing and combating GBV and sexual harassment. To achieve this objective, a mix-method methodology is used. Firstly, the annual COUNIPAR survey has been involved, allowing us on the one hand to collect descriptive statistics on the functioning of the ‘Comitato Unico di Garanzia’ (CUG, i.e., Equal Opportunity Body) and on the general gender-sensitivity of universities, and on the other hand, through the inclusion of specific questions on policies to prevent and combat GBV and sexual harassment, to have an overview of the policies already implemented by Italian universities. In this phase 36 universities, heterogeneous in terms of geographical area and size, are analysed. In order to further explore the potential of universities in prevention and law enforcement actions, it has been decided to examine the policies planned by Italian universities, as a further step in addition to existing policies. Hence, Italian universities Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) are taken under consideration, as the main tools for planning policies from a gender perspective. A sample of 47 Italian universities, heterogeneous both in terms of geographical area and size, is selected and 295 preventive and counteracting actions are detected by means of the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) method. Additional features, such as the allocation of human and financial resources for the planned actions, intersectionality, the involvement of the CUG and the existing network with local institutions, are also took into account in the analysis. As a result, it can be found that the most planned actions by GEPs of Italian universities concern the preventive aspects rather than the countering policies, as awareness-raising policies and training policies accounted together almost the 40% of the total detected actions. Looking at specific counteracting policies, policies for handling cases of harassment and violence, the adoption of a code of conduct, the figure of the Confidential Counsellor and psychological support services result to be the most planned actions by Italian universities in this regard. There is still considerable ground for development for specific policies such as the Anti-Violence Desk and collaboration with the network of local institutions, as well as with local Anti-Violence Centres, in a perspective of participative processes, able to act as a bridge between the university and the skills and experiences carried out at local level by all actors involved in gender equality policies.