Students urged to ‘break culture of silence’ surrounding harassment

AMMAN — Breaking "the culture of silence" is the first step to be taken to push back against the “troublingly unresolved” harassment cases in colleges and universities, according to experts.

“Campus harassment affects students’ educational experience, and a greater effort must be applied to foster a harassment-free campus climate,” sociologist Hussein Khozahe told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Presenting a look at the reality lived in colleges and universities, Khozahe who is also a professor at one of Jordan’s universities, said that attitudes towards harassing behaviours and students’ hesitations when reporting traumas and the continuous “culture of silence” are what make harassers “get away each and every time”.

In cases of harassment, a lecturer or instructor may abuse a position of power, according to Khozahe, adding that most victims do not voice their anxiety for fear of being embarrassed, shamed, trapped by the aftermath of filing a complaint or in some cases blamed for inviting such behaviour.

The extent and ramifications of harassment are significant, life coach Shayma Awad, who is also a women’s rights activist, told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“Actions should be taken immediately and victims should come forward about what they have experienced,” said Awad. 

She pointed out that many students who experience campus harassment may remain silent because they fear their grades will be impacted by their complaint. 

The first study on harassment, which was conducted in 2017 by the Jordan National Commission for Women, showed that 20.8 per cent of respondents remained silent when they were harassed for the first time. 

Meanwhile, 14.3 per cent remained silent upon repeated harassment. 

The study also reveals that 23.5 per cent of those who did not file a complaint have done so due to fear of stigmatisation, 11.3 per cent did know how to report harassment and 9.3 per cent did not know that such behaviour is considered a crime.