NEWS

On December 13, 2024, the 27th Human Rights Seminar, entitled "Prevention of campus harassment - Especially on prevention of harassment when using Internet and social media -" was held. This seminar is held every year around Human Rights Day (December 10) by the ICU Human Rights Committee and the Human Rights Advisory Board, which conduct educational activities and counseling regarding human rights.

Continuing from last year, Ms. Tomoko Shimizu, a visiting lecturer at the Japan Institute for Women's Empowerment & Diversity Management, gave a lecture on harassment on campus. She spoke about the characteristics of harassment, why it is an issue, its effects and responsibilities, and measures to prevent all members of the campus from becoming victims, perpetrators, or bystanders, with specific examples and case studies, focusing especially on harassment through social networking services.

In the lecture, Ms. Shimizu mentioned that, in general, all members of the executive board, faculty, staff, and students at a university can be both perpetrators and victims from a variety of perspectives. She also mentioned that even though there are members with diverse values, imposing unconscious assumptions and biases that everyone has on others may lead to harassment, and especially those in position of power can easily lead to power harassment by imposing unconscious biases arising from their own past experiences and habits.

There are six types of power harassment: "physical attack," "mental attack," "detachment from relationships," "excessive demands," "unreasonable demands," and "violation of individuality." Any of these actions inflict damage on the individual's dignity and it is not uncommon for an individual to experience poor mental health. A situation may develop to a situation where the person committing the act is held criminally liable.

She introduced the importance of taking measures when victimized by recording factors such as the time and place of the harassment, how you felt, taking a screenshot, as well as consulting with someone you trust instead of keeping it to yourself and using the university or an outside consultation service. Furthermore, the lecture emphasized how significant it is for universities to provide a place where victims can safely seek advice, and to respect the victims' wishes when taking actions.

As a university that respects the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of ICU's basic policies is to provide an education, research, and working environment that is free from human rights violations and to ensure a safe campus for its members. The lecture provided participants with an opportunity to deepen their understanding regarding concrete harassment preventive measures.

ICU provides a link that explains the ways to seek advice after experiencing harassment. Please take a look here.