Sexual harassment in academia: victim-survivors speaking out, the politics of naming, and (lack of) institutional accountability

Abstract

Following movements like #MeToo, #RUReferenceList, and #NiUnaMenos, university students and staff shared their experiences on social media of harassment and abuse within academia. However, despite calls to “break the silence,” victim-survivors frequently face institutional retaliation and backlash from people responsible for harm. Naming nevertheless remains an important part of the accountability and healing processes for some victim-survivors. Additionally, in the absence of larger accountability and victim-survivor-centred reporting processes, some academics and activists have also called for university-handled lists naming people with upheld findings within universities similar to sex offender registries. In this commentary piece based on discussions between Joel Quirk and Judith Levine in a March 2024 webinar, we analyse the politics of naming those responsible for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including questions such as who should name, when should naming occur, and what kind of justice do we seek. This piece highlights the complexities of publicly naming those who have engaged in SGBV in universities, particularly through a transformative justice lens, and indicates a lack of institutional avenues for justice and accountability.