AUSTRALIA

Universities sign on to charter to tackle sexual harassment

A new charter on sexual harm has been agreed to by Australian universities, with the document bearing significant resemblance to commitments already made by institutions in 2017, writes Claudia Long for ABC News.

The new document, released on Friday 17 November by Universities Australia, sets out priorities for tackling sexual harassment and assault in university settings. But students and safety advocates are frustrated, describing it as “recycling” existing commitments.

It comes ahead of a state, territory and federal education ministers meeting next week to discuss how to respond to the sexual violence crisis at universities. They will be considering, among other proposals, establishing a national student ombudsman where students can raise complaints around how universities handle this issue.
Full report on the ABC News site