A survey conducted two years ago by the UniSafe project among more than 40 universities in Europe showed the scale of violence that affects working and studying people.Sexist jokes? They were experienced by 40% of male and female respondents . Violence does not have to take drastic forms at all. It can also hide in ignoring, mocking, belittling.

Moreover, the consequences of violence affect not only the person experiencing it, but affect the entire organization. The result is an exodus of talent, reduced productivity and creativity, low recruitment.

Today a workshop on GBV was conducted by @Agnieszka Chrzaszcz and @Katarzyna Leszczynska at @AGH University of Krakow

We discussed this difficult, multifaceted and complex issue with passion and respect, thanks to a wonderful group of participants. We reflected on what are the limits of our responsibility and what MOOCs we have to counteract violence in the workplace and learning.

We agreed that the university should be a place free of violence or intimidation – it is neither a method of education nor a motivator for better work. It destroys and weakens. We want to equip working and studying people with effective tools to deal with violence: mental resistance, assertiveness, healthy communication.

Sources:
Data ot. research in European universities of the Unisafe project
https://unisafe-gbv.eu/
Gender Equality Plan for AGH
https://rownosc.agh.edu.pl/plan-rownosci-plci
Nexus Project https://nexusproject.info/