(source: Unsplash)
Slovak universities are plagued by undesired comments about appearance, sexually charged comments, sexist jokes, demeaning remarks about women and men as well as sexual pressure, and promising benefits in return for sexual favours.
The latest nationwide survey from the Institute of Labour and Family Research (IVPR) has found that more than three quarters of all female and male students at Slovak universities experience sexual harassment. The study ended in the academic year of 2019/2020, and 161 students across 33 faculties participated in the study. Over 50 percent of the participants were women.
Veronika Valkovičová of IVPR told the Sme daily that the quantitative data suggests that sexual harassment has become normalised at universities.
“It is true that male and female students don’t view sexual harassment as something extraordinary; whether it comes from teachers, or comes from their peers,” she commented.
