UCD has officially launched its new system for reporting sexual harassment and bullying.
Staff and students are able to avail of the service and it's open to those who've had allegations made against them.
The Dignity and Respect service is the first of its kind at third level in Ireland.
The university's new reporting service for staff and students has been officially launched today by the Higher Education Minister Simon Harris.
We’re very pleased to welcome Minister for Further and Higher Education @SimonHarrisTD to the James Joyce Library this morning, launching the new @UCD_EDI Dignity and Respect Support Service. pic.twitter.com/lMu6Wc58Hr
— UCD Library (@UCDLibrary) May 9, 2022
UCD Student Union President, Ruairí Power, says it's aimed at helping to address a big issue.
"It's a very wide spread issue and it's not confined to the higher education sector.
"There have been several surveys, one conducted by the Union of Students in Ireland recently, their sexual experience survey that identified quite a high rate of sexual harassment and violence towards women in particular and particularly LGBT students.
"It is a wide reaching issue, so we need a wide reaching response.
"We need to create both the culture of consent of our campuses and also a hostile culture to misogyny gender based violence."
