The international campaign ‘Orange the World’ runs from the 25th of November until the 10th of December. This campaign aims to reduce violence against women and girls, an initiative that is supported by our university. In line with this campaign UvA underscores their own new campaign: ‘Looking out for each other’. Will that be the solution for a socially safe university?
Highlighted on their website, UvA emphasises Orange the World’s importance and its stance against violence against women. As a token of their support, the UvA has signed the ’16 Days of Action’ pledge against this type of violence. Perhaps most importantly, our university takes Orange the World as an opportunity to promote their very own campaign: ‘Looking out for each other’.
The campaign that launched on the 21st of October aims to recognise and name ‘undesirable behaviour’; a mild term to describe discrimination, sexual intimidation, bullying and violence. The UvA has been in the public over the last years due to scandals of sexual intimidation. This happened specifically in the bachelor French Language and Culture, which caused the student council of the Faculty of Humanities to pass a vote of no confidence in the current dean Fred Weerman in June 2020. In February this year, students and teachers even demanded his departure. This was after the report on social safety, constructed by a special taskforce commissioned by the UvA, was published in January 2021.
‘Looking out for each other’ offers, among other things, a list where students can go if they do experience this kind of ‘undesirable behaviour’. In this campaign, confidential advisers or study advisors are mentioned as people that can offer help. Amsterdam-based newspaper Het Parool has stated that many students don’t go to these advisers, which begs the question whether this initiative is enough. Moreover, the very sound advice that “you can try to resolve the situation yourself,” is the first thing you read when looking for help. The campaign has solid resolutions and intentions, but is it not too mild? Will this truly solve the structural problems of social safety that UvA (and many other universities) deal with?
Has the ‘Looking out for each other’ campaign helped you? Please reach out to us: politics@youvatoday.nl