Exploring experiences of disclosing and reporting sexual violence and harassment to higher education institutions

This completed project was a cross-institutional partnership including researchers from the University of Limerick, University of Galway and University College Dublin which was funded by the Higher Education Authority. The main objectives of this project were:

To document and give voice to a range of staff and student experiences of sexual violence and harassment in higher education and to capture the impact on those affected
To explore survivor experiences of disclosing and reporting sexual violence and harassment to their institution, including but not limited to complaints that were formally investigated, to identify strengths, challenges and lessons.
To develop evidence-informed recommendations for higher education institutions to enhance support to survivors and improve institutional responses to sexual violence and harassment.

Research Team

The research team for this project included Professor Patricia Mannix McNamara, Professor Margaret Hodgins, Dr Carol Ballantine, Dr Declan Fahie, Professor Pádraig Mac Neela, Dr Caroline Murphy, Dr Sarah MacCurtain, and Dr Niamh Hickey.