Against the background of the #MeToo campaign, the Technion is still one of the leaders in the number of complaints about sexual harassment among Israeli universities. From the report of the Commission for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Technion It appears that the number of complaints submitted in recent years is constantly increasing. 33 complaints about sexual harassment were received in the last school year by the Commissioner for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Technion in Haifa.
The report for 2018, which is submitted to the Technion's management every year, summarizes the activities carried out in order to reduce the number of harassments that take place within the institution's walls, and describes the nature of the inquiries brought to the Commission's attention during the year. 15 complaints, approximately 46% of the total complaints submitted, describe incidents of sexual, verbal and physical harassment, obscene acts and even the distribution of humiliating videos. 83% of the complainants are women, and 97% of them were directed at men. The highest sector is among the students, although among the academic staff, the administrative staff and even guests of the Technion were among the complainants.
Comments regarding appearance and clothing
The main points of referrals submitted and classified as sexual harassment are making frequent comments regarding the complainant's appearance and clothing. Proposals for a romantic meeting, even though the complainant said she was not interested in a relationship. A practitioner who made a sexual comment to a student in the course, verbal sexual harassment that is defined as serious when it is serial, meaning that it lasts for a long period of time and/or is heard from several complainants. The treatment recommended by the superiors in these cases, among others, is to register the complaint in the personal file and prevent promotion to a higher rank. An inquiry that ended in mediation and the registration of limitations on the position of the Nilon at the Technion. In some cases, the complainants were also offered mental health treatment at the Technion's expense.
Touching the pool
The Technion pool was also among the centers of offenses and similar to the previous report that was submitted, this year also a case of unwanted touching was recorded in the area of the pool. In this case the harasser's access to the Technion facilities was restricted. Respected in the workplace, with a warning against the recurrence of such behavior.
complaints from the past
The #MeToo campaign, which began on social media and described personal cases of sexual assault offenses that were not reported in real time, formed the background for a number of extraordinary complaints. The most striking expression of this can be found in the filing of two complaints that referred to the distant past. In one case, an attempted sexual assault by a Technion professor against a complainant who was not his student was reported, an incident that occurred abroad about 25 years ago. The incident was not dealt with due to the recurrence of the case and the fact that the professor retired about 15 years ago.
In the second case, it was reported in the media that an outstanding teacher who has been teaching at the Technion for about 15 years, is accused of committing sexual acts on his students as part of his previous occupation at another institution. The teacher suspended himself from activity at the Technion immediately upon publication in the media. After a comprehensive examination, it was found that there was no flaw in his conduct within the Technion and according to the report, there were even some among the students who were willing to give positive character evidence towards him. Despite this, the Technion decided that due to the seriousness of the acts in question, Hanylon would not be able to return to work at the Technion.
distrust
The Commission for the Prevention of Harassment is the one responsible for handling these cases, and prides itself on the speedy handling ratio. In 67% of the total number of referrals, from the day the report was received until the end of the investigation or treatment - only 1 to 7 days passed. However, the Commission also admits that the lack of trust in the system leads to the fact that many of these illegal activities do not reach the reporting rule. "In a survey conducted by the national student union, it was found that approximately 5% of students in higher education institutions experience sexual harassment each year," writes the coordinating commissioner, Prof. Naomi Carmon. "5% of the students is a lot, relative to the number of references that reach the commission.
Apparently, Despite the intense and ongoing effort, there is still not enough trust in the care system - mainly on the part of the male and female students - quite a few cases of sexual harassment still occur at the Technion, which are not reported to the Commission. Furthermore, the vast majority of reported cases were in the lower threshold of offenses; The hope is that this is a reflection of reality, but we have no way of knowing whether serious crimes are not actually being committed or whether there are, but they do not come to our attention."
Involvement of the students in providing unique solutions to prevent sexual harassment
In order to increase awareness of maintaining a respectful environment, the commission carries out many activities for the entire population at the Technion, including informational and training sessions, creating regulations, publishing posters and also computerized learning. In the past year, a creative attempt was made to increase the involvement of the students in providing unique solutions and a brainstorming session was held on the topic of a safe campus, in the hope that some of the ideas that came up will receive resources and be promoted in the future.
If the comments about clothing do not have a sexual nature, they will not fall into the definition of sexual harassment, so don't be surprised... these are comments about appearance and clothing in the style of "this shirt makes your breasts stand out nicely"
It was always disturbing but today there is legitimacy not to ignore and act as if you didn't hear but to complain and put the troublemaker in his place.
First your decision that sexual harassment complaints should be handled by the police and not by the staff is wrong. The reason there is a commission in the institution is to have a listening ear and the authority to act within the institution in front of the person being complained about. In cases where it is necessary, the Commission recommends transferring to the police.
Also the idea that the faculty has an interest in burying the complaint so as not to damage the name of the institution is completely wrong, knowing the Commission and the fact that today it is not possible to "bury" complaints of a significant size in any way.
The purpose of the article was not to conduct an independent investigation into the handling of complaints, but to survey the issue as it is currently handled according to the Commission's report. An official and respected official among those involved in the matter must be trusted for his willingness to reach an agreed upon solution by the parties in any case submitted for handling.
If this is really the system's response, it is very embarrassing, already since you responded to the response with a new response instead of clicking "reply".
Already indicates a great orientation in the system. But it smells more like an extension of the commission trying to speak with authority, maybe it's both.
"Your decision that sexual harassment complaints should be handled by the police"
This is not Shalom's decision (who wrote the previous comment). The law is enforced by the police, not by bureaucrats. Thank God, we live in a free democratic country, as much as the activists in the commission would be happy to change it.
"One must believe an official and respected official among those involved in the matter"
There is no doubt that this is successful journalism when the reader is required to 'believe' the reporter when he cannot substantiate his claims.
The article could have been written at a higher level and less vague.
There is the Technion and there is the me too campaign, these are 2 different things, even if they are similar they must be treated separately.
Complaints about harassment should be handled by the police and not by the faculty who have an interest in burying/disappearing the complaint or simply not doing anything in order not to harm the good name of the institution, that's why students simply don't complain because of the fear of being harmed.
There is a very big difference between harassment between students and someone who is a source of authority such as a lecturer or someone senior (and there were cases at Haifa University as well, it's not just the Technion).
The problem is that a girl who runs with a false complaint about someone online will ruin his life, even this will turn out to be wrong, the damage has already been done, but the main thing is to blame.
Your article is very feminist, but you don't really talk about how institutions of higher education really handle cases of sexual harassment, you just tell vague stories.
You cannot be taken seriously.
Feminists love to talk about justice when it suits 'ganda but you don't really care about victims of sexual harassment.
The details of the cases present a very different picture from the narrative of the article.
Indeed, a major part of the reports are about comments on clothing and appearance. Something that was sometimes said outside of a sexual context and in the previous decade was not classified under sexual harassment at all. Now, following activist activity at the Technion this decade, the definition of sexual harassment has been changed, and an increase in the number of cases has been recorded.
Another significant part of the cases is, in the reporter's words, "proposals for a romantic meeting, even though the complainant said she was not interested in a relationship." How can you tell if she is interested before you propose? How do you think the relationship between your parents started?
The case at the pool is much more serious, and since it involves contact, it is sexual assault and not harassment.
There are also the two most serious cases, and they took place outside the Technion by those in authority, and a long time ago.
Despite this, the activist commission at the Technion says things like "there are still quite a few cases of sexual harassment at the Technion, which are not reported to the commission", when they have no way of knowing what is not being reported to them, and the data they have collected presents a different reality.
It's really good that most of the complaints are against offenses of a relatively low level, but I have a few comments for you:
1) So what a decade ago was not considered harassment? How is this relevant? A decade ago there weren't many things that exist today, including drones, smart watches, etc. Today it is considered harassment, and rightly so. Social norms are changing. That's how it is.
2) Apparently the writer meant that they continued to invite someone for a romantic outing even after she refused. And yes, it's bullying at best and harassment at worst.
1) If the Technical Commission's definition of sexual harassment changes from year to year, the data cannot be compared from year to year and the data cannot be compared to other institutions. That's why the title "Haifa Technion is one of the leaders in the number of complaints about sexual harassment among universities in Israel" is misleading. There is no basis that the situation at the Technion is worse than another institution.
2) I don't know that, you don't know, and the reporter doesn't. I am referring to the information published by the Commission, which is very little information.