UniSAFE
Despite the scale, the political significance and the growing interest in academia, gender-based violence in research organisations remains largely under-reported and under-researched. Without sufficient knowledge, infrastructure, measures, and activities in place in academia, it is difficult to fully prevent, protect or even prosecute.
UniSAFE is an EU-funded project that aims to produce better knowledge on gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual harassment (SH) in research performing organisations, and to translate this knowledge into operational tools for higher education, research organisations and policymakers.
Over three years, UniSAFE will provide up-to-date, robust and reliable quantitative and qualitative data on GBV and SH, including newly emerging forms of violence, in universities and research performing organisations.
Research and outreach activities targeting researchers, stakeholders and policymakers will be led across EU for three years. The project will analyse the mechanisms of GBV and SH – its social determinants, antecedents and consequences – at three different levels, using a holistic research model. This in-depth knowledge of existing problems, current and future priorities will result in an operational toolkit and recommendations to reduce GBV and SH in the European academic and research area.
UniSAFE relies on a strong multi-disciplinary consortium of nine European partners. Several researchers at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research is part of the Swedish team, led by University of Gothenburg, and contributes with research expertise on GBV and SH on two main tasks:
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Developing a survey on prevalence and impacts, covering 45 research organisations (with 450 000 respondents) in 15 EU Member States
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Performing a research analysis of current policies on GBV and SH in EU27
We cooperate with:
Nine EU member countries, researchers on genderbased violence (GBV) and sexual harassment (SH) in EU, Sofia Strid, Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg.
Keynote from the conference Ending Gender Based Violence
No More Excuses. Moving beyond Gender-Based Violence in Academia with Fredrik Bondestam and Sofia Strid, 24 Nov 2022 (external website)
Publications on the subject
Re-imagining Sexual Harassment – Perspectives from the Nordic Region
(link to the publication at Policy Press)
Authors: Sumaya Jirde Ali, Silas Aliki, Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir, Elin Bjarnegård, Dolores Calvo, Paulina de los Reyes, Åsa Eldén, Anne Hellum, Anne Laure Humbert, Mads Ananda Lodahl, Silje Lundgren, Maja Lundqvist, Heta Mulari, Angelica Simonsson, Lea Skewes, Sigbjørn Skåden, Sofia Strid and Kajsa Widegren (2023)
Editors: Maja Lundqvist, Angelica Simonsson och Kajsa Widegren.
The book is available in bookstores and via the publisher Policy Press, an imprint of Bristol University Press, and OpenAcess.
