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‘Never OK’ Sexual Harassment student campaign launches

07 Nov 2022

Never OK is a joint campaign by our University, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, promoting an environment and culture where sexual harassment or violence is never tolerated

Never OK campaign

The campaign encourages everyone in our University community to be active bystanders and challenge unacceptable behaviour when they witness it. We also want to empower survivors of sexual harassment or violence to seek support and feel confident about reporting incidents.

We’re asking all students at our University to take a stand against sexual harassment and commit to the three actions below: 

  • Become an active bystander and know how to call out sexual harassment
  • Educate themselves on sexual harassment and complete the ‘Understanding Consent’ module
  • Report incidents through the University's Report and Support system and access the support services available to them. 

The campaign launches to students on Monday, 7 November, with posters going up around key spaces on campus and branded beer mats and coffee sleeves in the Students’ Union and Food on Campus outlets. We’ve also created a series of videos for our social channels, hosted by student Dorsa, interviewing on the topic of sexual harassment and ways students report incidents and access support. Look out for these on the @officialuom Instagram.

We want students to understand that this campaign includes meaningful action taken by our University alongside the communications campaign aimed at students. Therefore, we’ve communicated what actions we’ve taken so far to support our zero-tolerance stance on sexual harrasment and violence. 

What actions we’ve taken so far: 

  • ‘Understanding Consent’ module -  we’ve created an online course for students to explore the complexities of consent when applied to our lives and our relationships, why we need to talk about it, and what to expect from a sexual partner. 
  • Extended boundaries on our Safe Zone app - allows staff and students to contact Campus Support and Security quickly and discreetly for support, and in September 2021, we teamed up with Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford so you’re covered on their campuses too.
  • Safety networks – we have established a number of networks with internal and external partners to help keep students safe. These groups meet regularly and include student representatives and the Greater Manchester Police.  
  • Specialist support staff – we have a specially trained Sexual Violence and Harassment Response Team to support students through the reporting process and offer relevant care before, during and after the process.

You can find more information about the campaign, as well as how students can get involved, on Student News.