Promoting Consent and Preventing Sexual Violence

There are various reporting options available when it comes to reporting an incident of sexual harassment or violence. The diagram below outlines these options. Details of relevant WIT policies and people to contact to make a report/complaint in WIT are provided in the table below.

 

 

*Relevant WIT Policy & Contact Person:

Speak Out is an online anonymous reporting tool to disclose incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, hate crime, coercive behaviour/control, stalking, assault, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. The tool will help you to find relevant supports and highlight formal reporting procedures, should you wish to use them.

It is important to remember that as the tool is completely anonymous, we have no way to identify or make contact with any member of the college community. Should you wish to report an incident formally please visit the

Please report one incident, or series of related incidents at a time; this is to ensure that we can understand the nature of your experience.

Please click here to make a report: Speak Out

For Students

• Active* Consent Training

WIT is committed to ensuring that all of our students engage in Active* Consent training to ensure the development of a consent culture on campus. All incoming first year students since 2020-21 have undertaken Active* Consent training as part of their Student Orientation. Additionally, Active* Consent training will be rolled out to all other WIT students, including postgrad and research students, in the 2021/22 Academic Year.

Students can also take the full Active* Consent E-Learning Module at the following link: https://activeconsent.usi.ie/training/#/.

• Bystander Intervention Training

WIT is committed to rolling out Bystander Intervention training for students across its campuses.

The aim of the Bystander Intervention training is to highlight the danger of normalising and accepting abusive behaviour and through education, inform and empower programme participants to better understand their capacity to intervene as pro-social bystanders. The Bystander Intervention Programme provides students with an understanding of key issues related to consent and the boundaries surrounding sexual assault, rape and abusive relationships. It also enables them to develop key intervention skills which can be utilised in any setting. The programme is led by Professor Louise Crowley of the School of Law, UCC, and will be made available to all students in WIT.

A short introductory Bystander video, which outlines key elements of the training is available here https://youtu.be/LxXqYWEQIzs.

 

For Staff

It is critical that staff in WIT are aware of key definitions in relation to consent, sexual violence and harassment as well as their role in supporting disclosures, and the wide-spread roll out of training for staff in this area will begin in 2021/22.

 

 

• Active* Consent Training for Staff

The following video developed by Active* Consent provides important information in relation to concepts, statistics and basic language for staff to help them support students or colleagues who disclose sexual violence to them.

Active* Consent Staff Awareness Raising Video - YouTube

Staff can also take the full Active* Consent E-Learning Module at the following link: https://activeconsent.usi.ie/training/#/.

• Bystander Intervention Training

WIT is committed to rolling out Bystander Intervention training for students and staff across its campuses. The aim of the Bystander Intervention training is to highlight the danger of normalising and accepting abusive behaviour and through education, inform and empower programme participants to better understand their capacity to intervene as pro-social bystanders. The Bystander Intervention Programme provides participants with an understanding of key issues related to consent and the boundaries surrounding sexual assault, rape and abusive relationships. It also enables them to develop key intervention skills which can be utilised in any setting. The programme is led by Professor Louise Crowley of the School of Law, UCC, and will be made available to all staff in WIT.

A short introductory Bystander video, which outlines key elements of the training is available here https://youtu.be/LxXqYWEQIzs.

 

• Offering Support in the Aftermath of Rape and Sexual Assault

 

Training for Designated Contact Persons and other staff members on Offering Support in the Aftermath of Rape and Sexual Assault will also be rolled out from October 2021.

WIT’s ICF (Implementation of the Consent Framework) Working Group oversees the implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs; Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions.

Membership comprises of key stakeholders including academics, student support services, EDI, the Student’s Union, HR and external specialist agencies. The vision of the Framework is to ensure an institutional campus culture which is safe, respectful and supportive.  

For details of the Terms of Reference and Membership, click here . To access WIT’s Action Plan to Tackle Sexual Violence & Harassment 2022, click here.

Student Supports

 

A number of specialist professional support services are available to you here in WIT if you need to avail of them. 

 

WIT Counselling Service :                                              [email protected] ​

http://www.wit.ie/counselling

WIT Nurse Service                                                            051 302863:[email protected]   ​

WITSU Welfare Officer:                                                 [email protected]  ​

WIT Institute Chaplain:                                                  051 302617 [email protected]   ​

WIT Student Life & Learning:                                       051 845513 [email protected]​

Student Counselling Text Helpline:                             WIT50808​

Rowe Creavin Medical Practice:                                  051 370057                                   ​

Emergency Services:                                                      999/112​

Caredoc (Out of Hours):                                                1850 334 999​

Waterford Gardaí                                                           051-305300/ http://www.garda.ie/en/crime/sexual-crime

Waterford Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre                    1800 296 296,

http://www.waterfordrsac.ie

Waterford Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, UHW:            

Sexual Assault Treatment Units - HSE.ie

051 842 157 weekdays from 8am to 5pm, 051 848 000 after 5pm and weekends, ask for SATU.

 

Staff Supports

 

Spectrum Life, Employee Assistant Services (incl. Counselling)        Freephone: 1800 814 243, WhatsApp SMS: Text 'Hi' to 087 369 0010

WIT Nurse:                                                                       051 302863:[email protected]   ​

WIT Institute Chaplain:                                                  051 302617 [email protected]   ​​

Emergency Services:                                                      999/112​

Caredoc (Out of Hours):                                                1850 334 999​

Waterford Gardaí                                                           051-305300 / http://www.garda.ie/en/crime/sexual-crime 

Waterford Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre:                   1800 296 296, http://www.waterfordrsac.ie

Waterford Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, UHW:

Sexual Assault Treatment Units - HSE.ie                                                  051 842 157 weekdays from 8am to 5pm, 051 848 000 after 5pm and weekends, ask for SATU.