UniSAFE Policy Brief 2: Addressing gender-based violence in higher education and research through institutional change

Gender-based violence in higher education and research has recently gained increased attention in the European policy landscape. Since 2019, multiple calls and recommendations addressing gender-based violence have been produced (the Helsinki Call for Action 2019, SWG GRI 2020). Recent policy developments and adopted documents signify a growing recognition of the problem of gender-based violence across all the actions in the European research and innovation (R&I) system. However, the recent policy evolution at the EU level does not translate in a uniform manner into actions at the level of Member States where divergence persists. Despite these differences, there is a converging agreement on the lack of effective instruments to address the issue, emphasising the necessity for combined action at both EU and national policy levels within the ERA. 

The results and recommendations produced by UniSAFE directly contribute to the knowledge base underlying these policy developments while shedding light on the differences in policy across the Member States and identifying gaps and shortcomings in institutional policies to comprehensively address the issue. The practical UniSAFE Toolkit provides the much-needed tools and guides to start rectifying these continued challenges to ending gender-based violence in European Research Area.