Students Facing Bullying and Sexual Harassment: Perceptions from the University Environment

Abstract

University environments are not free from the existence of gender-based violence, particularly bullying and sexual harassment. In response, higher education institutions have developed various actions, including consciousness-raising actions and the implementation of protocols and attention procedures. Nevertheless, the impact of these actions in reducing the incidence of the phenomenon has not been sufficiently studied. The present study aimed to identify the incidence of sexual harassment and bullying among students enrolled in a state public university, in comparison with the institutional actions undertaken for its eradication. A quantitative and descriptive research was carried out, in which a questionnaire was applied to 396 students enrolled in the same faculty. Among the results, we confirmed how generally this phenomenon is incrusted in the institutions, its social normalization and the inadequate promotion and execution of the existing policies and protocols.