Gender-Based Violence

BCU is proud to support EmilyTest, a Scottish organisation seeking to eliminate gender-based violence (often called ‘GBV’) from all Higher Education. We have acted as a pilot site for the EmilyTest Charter in England and are dedicated to taking steps to help ensure that none of our students ever have the experience Emily had. We want to use our role as a place of education to increase awareness of gender-based violence and what can be done to stop it. You can read more about EmilyTest and Emily’s story on the EmilyTest website: please be aware that you may find the contents of Emily’s story distressing.

What is gender-based violence?

Gender-based violence is a group of harmful behaviours. We know students might experience these behaviours while studying with us: full details of our approach to harmful behaviours are set out on our page addressing Sexual Misconduct, Harassment and Other Harmful Behaviours.

Gender-based violence might include sexual assault and sexual harassment, but there are many forms of gender-based violence and they may impact students in many ways. Students may encounter gender-based violence anywhere, including in ways that have no connection to their studies; however students experience gender-based violence, we are here to help and support.

Examples of gender-based violence include, but are not limited to:

Gender-based violence has significant and long-lasting impacts on victims/survivors. Examples can include an increased risk of developing physical and mental health difficulties; social Isolation; homelessness; and economic struggles.

Policy

We have a specific Student Gender-Based Violence Policy, which sets out in detail to approach to gender-based violence, how to report incidents, and how we support any student affected by GBV.

Report

You can report gender-based violence in whatever way you feel most comfortable, whether that is online or in person, to a tutor, or to another staff member like a counsellor. We encourage all students to make reports through our Report and Support online portal, which is the quickest way to ensure you receive support from our Mental Health and Wellbeing team. The team can talk you through the support available to you, from both internal and external support services, and can discuss what options you have if you want to take further action. Report and Support can also be used by staff and other people (like friends or support workers) to report something that has happened to you, so that you get the support you need.

Report and Support is monitored 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday. Our response time are determined by a risk assessment of the report, but all reports are responded to within 72 hours.

Support

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing team will provide specific support for any student who experiences gender-based violence, no matter how it happens: it doesn’t need to have happened on campus or have involved any other student, and you can access support without having to make any kind of formal report. Support is available to all affected students, irrespective of personal characteristics and including students who are the subject of allegations of gender-based violence.

We have a range of support services available to students: you can find details on the Student Support page of our website. Students who are already enrolled can access details of internal and external support services relating to gender-based violence through a dedicated page on our intranet, iCity. We take a holistic approach to student support, ensuring that we take into account your wider circumstances when offering support; for example, we can support you to access advice on your financial situation if you want to take a break from your studies, or to find alternative accommodation if you have any concerns about where you are living. We can also facilitate you speaking to our liaison officers at West Midlands Police, whether you are seeking to make a formal police report or looking for general guidance.

Taking action

We recognise gender-based violence as a harmful behaviour which contradicts our University Community Agreement, Student Gender-Based Violence Policy, and Student Disciplinary Procedure.

Where we receive a report of gender-based violence carried out by a student of BCU, any investigation will be conducted in line with our Student Disciplinary Procedure and will be informed by any external process such as a criminal investigation.

During the course of an investigation, we will not disclose personal information about the parties involved unless there is a clear basis for doing so. Where potential misconduct by the reporting party is disclosed, either as part of their own report or during the course of a disciplinary investigation, action the University takes in response will take into account the full circumstances of the case. There may be occasions when it is considered necessary to take disciplinary action against the reporting party, but such action will not be triggered automatically and all decisions will be informed by the full circumstances of the case. For example, if you disclosed that you were sexually assaulted at a time when you were under the influence of an illegal substance, we would offer support and would not pursue disciplinary action associated with drug use.

We do not make use of non-disclosure agreements in student disciplinary cases. By ‘non-disclosure agreements’ we mean all agreements that seek to prevent students from disclosing information about their experiences to a third party. Agreements of this kind are banned by the Office for Students where they relate to allegations about harassment or sexual misconduct, but we apply the same position to all harmful behaviours, including gender-based violence, on the basis that agreements of this kind can prevent students from speaking about their experiences.

Training and education

The Mental Health and Wellbeing team undertake regular training to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to support students who have experienced gender-based violence. We also have team members who are trained as Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers, who are able to provide specialist advice and support where it is needed. The team run regular training sessions for both staff and students to support understanding of harmful behaviours, in addition to training delivered through interactive online modules.

All staff undertake mandatory training that includes content on types of abuse, and how to respond if a student discloses details of harmful behaviour to staff. Where we investigate cases of gender-based violence internally, we use investigators and decision-makers who have undertaken specialist training, to help ensure that we conduct thorough, trauma-informed investigations.

For students, we have developed our own in-house module to provide learning on consent and healthy relationships, including content on gender-based violence. The module has been created in consultation with the Students’ Union and students and is contextualised for BCU – it is not an ‘off the shelf’ product. All students are required to complete the module, or to engage in alternative learning if completion of the module might cause high levels of distress.

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech means that everyone has the right to express lawful views and opinions freely, in speech or in writing, without interference. The University has a Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech.

Freedom of speech within the law is protected. This means that freedom of speech will not be protected if it contravenes some other law and illegal or unlawful acts will not be tolerated by the University.

The University has a duty to protect its staff and students from unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation or threats of violence on the grounds of race, sex, age, religion or philosophical belief, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. However, the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 should not be interpreted to undermine freedom of speech and academic freedom. As a result, students’ learning experience and the working environment of staff may include exposure to research, course material, discussion or speaker’s views that they find offensive, contentious or unacceptable, but are nonetheless within the law, and unlikely to be considered unlawful harassment or discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Academic freedom means freedom within the law to question and test received wisdom, and to put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions without being at risk of being adversely affected. An individual would be deemed to have been adversely affected if they had either lost their job or privileges at the University, or experiences a reduction in the likelihood that they would secure a promotion or different job at the University. The University is committed to ensuring that academic staff have the freedom to question and test received wisdom and put forward new ideas and opinions without placing them at risk of using their job, privileges or future opportunities.