The government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB) will include the fight against discrimination, harassment and sexual violence in the ‘Paysage Decree’, which regulates higher education in Francophone Belgium, FWB Minister for Higher Education Valérie Glatigny said on Friday.
When this is done, higher education institutions in the FWB will be required to provide adequate information on systems, support services and legislation in favour of the fight against such abuses, Belga News Agency reports.
Institutions will have to designate formal entities for dealing with said-issues
To this end, higher education learning institutions will need to identify a focal point within each of them tasked with handling such issues, and will be required to raise awareness among staff and students through specific actions, including training.
A study will also be launched on violence and harassment in higher and second-chance education in the FWB. This study, which comes with a budget of €150,000, will be used to evaluate systems already set up to fight against such abuses and identify additional arrangements that can be adopted.
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"Sexism, harassment and sexual violence have no place in higher education or elsewhere in society,” Minister Glatigny stressed.
"They need to be fought against forcefully so that everyone, male and female, can feel safe on our campuses. Today’s decision reasserts this commitment by the Government."
