Preventing and protection from harassment and sexual misconduct.
This page summarises WIC's policies and procedures on student harassment and sexual misconduct, including intimate personal relationships between staff and students.
Need to report a concern?
If you need to report bullying, discrimination, harassment, hate crime or sexual misconduct, or want to speak confidentially to a member of the Safeguarding and Wellbeing Team, get in touch with WIC directly.
Contact WIC“Harassment” refers to unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic that aims to, or has the effect of, undermining someone's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment. This includes harassment based on association or perception, as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
“Sexual Misconduct” refers to any unwanted or inappropriate sexual behaviour, including but not limited to:
- Sexual harassment under Section 26(2) of the Equality Act 2010.
- Sexual assault and rape, as defined under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
- Unwanted physical sexual advances (EHRC 2017 guidance).
- Sexual coercion, including offering benefits in exchange for sexual favours.
- Non-consensual sharing of explicit images or videos (a criminal offence under the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015).