Sexual harassment in higher education can involve any unwelcome and/or threatening sexual conduct which makes a person feel intimated, offended or humiliated, such as non-consensual sexual advances, sexual comments or jokes, relational or sexual pursuit, and sending sexually explicit communications (WHO, 2024a). These behaviours can occur in-person, online or using digital technologies within the university context, on or off campus, and before, during or after normal university operating hours (Flynn et al., 2024; Heywood et al., 2022). For example, sending sexual comments or sexually explicit images to a student using their university contact details, or making an unwelcome sexual advance at a social or professional occasion arranged or supported by a university, or where students or staff from the university are present in a university context (Heywood et al., 2022).

In the last five years, there have been growing concerns around the prevalence and challenges of sexual harassment in higher education settings across the Indo-Pacific region. While prevalence rates vary across countries and institutions, and in some cases are not recorded (e.g. Fiji), a systematic review across low and middle-income countries found higher rates of sexual harassment in higher education institutions than other settings, including the workplace (Ranganathan et al., 2021). This pattern seems to correspond with the higher prevalence of sexual violence among the 15–25-year age group across countries in population-based surveys–the same age group predominantly in higher education (WHO, 2018).

Higher education settings are a formative part of many young people’s social, cultural and career development. This environment thus warrants increasing action from within higher education institutions and from governments to prevent, reduce and provide appropriate responses to combat sexual harassment in higher education.

The primary objective of this report is to understand how experiences of sexual harassment in higher education settings are understood, addressed and responded to in 28 focus countries across the Indo-Pacific: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam. These countries were selected because they are all United Nations (UN) member states situated in the Indo-Pacific region, as defined by the UN Economic and Social Council.

They also had national level data available. The report summarises findings on the state of government and institutional legislation, policies and special procedures relevant to sexual harassment in higher education settings across these 28 countries, informed by a desk review of relevant literature and policy data. It also presents a discussion on the practical implementation of these policies, drawing on interviews with ten stakeholders working in six higher education institutions in the Indo Pacific.

Of the 28 countries included in the review, only three had evidence of national policies specifically addressing sexual harassment in higher education institutions (Australia, Indonesia, Philippines), and four had evidence of special procedures in place addressing sexual harassment in higher education institutions (Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines). Indonesia and the Philippines have legislation that guides sexual harassment policies and responses specifically in higher education institutions. Australian universities have been operating under the Universities Australia’s (peak body) Charter on Sexual Harm (2023) and the Primary Prevention of Sexual Harm in the University Sector Good Practice Guide (2023), but in 2024, further changes were made through the National Action Plan Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education (2024).

Sixteen of the 28 countries have national legislation that criminalises sexual harassment (six only criminalise this in the workplace), which offers some protection for students and staff, but it does not necessarily address the prevention of this form of sexual violence. Overall, the majority of countries had an institutional policy which in some way addressed or defined sexual harassment (21 of the 28 countries), but the depth and extent to which these policies captured all forms of sexually harassing behaviours and appropriately responded to them, varies greatly among institutions.

The effective implementation of institutional policies and processes relating to sexual harassment varied across countries and institutions with a range of implementation failures identified in the reporting and investigation processes, in supporting victim-survivors and in general sexual consent education training. The absence of information on how to report sexual harms was also a common finding. While some institutions were identified by participants as leading the way in their development of effective programs, processes and reporting procedures, there remains much to be learnt and shared among the Indo-Pacific to improve the prevention of, and responses to, sexual harassment in higher education settings.

Suggested citation

Flynn, A., Carrea, K., True, J., Davies, S. E., Quilty, E., Ballangarry, J. & Puspita, S. (2024) Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Report: The Indo-Pacific. CEVAW: Melbourne.

DOI

10.26188/27850302