A study conducted by the Coordinadora de la Mujer and the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) determined that 2.5 out of every 10 female students at that university suffered sexual harassment at some time during their university life.
The research was carried out in October and November of this year, on a sample of 1,697 students and 30 interviews conducted in 13 faculties. Of these, 423 (25 percent) claimed to have been victims of sexual harassment, and of these, 53 percent admitted that such harassment negatively affected their academic and personal performance.
The study also revealed that the main harassers are teachers and that none of those affected reported the incident: 28 percent because they did not trust university authorities; 26 percent because it did not seem a serious enough problem; 20 percent because they feared reprisals or being stigmatized; 18 percent did not know how to do so; and 8 percent for other reasons.
In this context and in time to disseminate these preliminary results, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a new web section was also presented in the university portal umsa.bo, which integrates an interactive chatbot called Andy, designed to inform, prevent and provide support to students affected by situations of harassment and sexual harassment.
The project, called “Act, stop sexual harassment at the university”, is promoted by the Women’s Coordinator, in collaboration with the Department of Research, Postgraduate and Social Interaction (Dipgis) and SLIM UMSA, with the monetary support of the Innovation Fund of the Swedish Association for Sex Education (RFSU). Its purpose is to promote awareness, prevent sexual harassment in the academic environment and ensure violence-free spaces for women.