Sexual Harassment Awareness Day

• Sexual harassment is defined as any behavior with sexual connotations that is unwelcome from one side and that violates a person's dignity. 
• The harassment can occur during work, study, events, and other contexts. It can stem from employees, students, members of other research institutions, or from external parties and can affect all persons. 
• Sexual harassment can be carried out with words, gestures, or physical actions and can originate from individuals as well as groups.

Further useful information on the topic of sexual harassment can be found online.

As part of the project "P-7: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in University Development", swissuniversities launched the external page national campaign for Sexual Harassment Awareness Day. The goal of this campaign (SH for short) is to preventively counteract sexual harassment and sexism. It is part of the efforts of Swiss universities to create and cultivate a culture in which there is no place for sexual harassment.

The department of Diversity and Cooperation acts as the coordinating point at ETH Zurich. Please contact with any questions about SH or your participation.  

Sexual harassment is a reality within Swiss universities and research institutions. This is why ETH Zurich has been taking part in the Sexual Harassment Awareness Day every year since 2023 and works with other institutions to raise awareness of the issue. It is a day of knowledge and information transfer, exchange, activities, and clear statements of taking action against boundary crossing behavior together.

Everyone's participation is welcome and called for. There are many ways in which departments, students, staff, and associations can make a valuable contribution to promoting awareness of sexual harassment, e.g. by organizing workshops, talks, film screenings, or other ideas of their own.

If you have questions about the day, your contribution, or think about organizing something for the Sexual Harassment Awareness Day, contact us at .

Below you find expert videos and descriptions of past events as inspiration for your event at Sexual Harassment Awareness Day.

Further ideas are compiled on this external page digital pinboard. We invite all ETH members and especially units such as departments, diversity officers, and women's associations of the departments to use and promote the expertise and resources of our university and to help shape this day.

The respective organizational unit is responsible to request experts and cover the costs of the event. Please note that none of the persons or formats mentioned have been pre-informed by us, these are merely suggestions as to which experts could be relevant to discuss the topic with you.

Sexual harassment is not tolerated at our university and will entail consequences. If you are a witness or victim of sexual harassment, please reach out to the contact and advice services at ETH Zurich. Their services are available for all ETH members; they are confidential, and free of charge.

Since April 2023, anonymous reports can be made via the online form. Vice-President Julia Dannath explains what chances and limitations anonymous reports of harassment and discrimination can entail.

Phi:male and LIMES will organize as a joined project a poster wall where ETH members can share their own experiences of sexual harassment and sexism. The poster wall will be present in the Main Building at Zentrum all day.

Phi:male, external page #speakUpETH and the AG Chancengleichheit (VSETH) will be providing display walls around Sexual Harassment from 8:00 to 20:00 in the HG Brunnenhalle (between the fountain and the main hall). There is the possibility to read testimonials about Sexual Harassment at ETH and to write anonymously yourself. With stickers you can also anonymously answer different questions about Sexual Harassment at ETH.

The project team of the national campaign, together with representatives of the universities, will present the campaign and answer journalists' questions.

The media conference is for media representatives only. After registration with the national campaign (), the link will be sent before the event.

Sexual harassment is a complex social problem. Sexual harassment is still often perceived simply as a ¡°victim¡¯s¡± issue but not only impacted people pay a high price for this toxic behavior. In this talk, Dr. Bettina Palazzo, expert in business ethics, showed how the true costs of sexual harassment affect everyone and institutions. Sexual harassment brings knowledge loss, legal costs, decline of employee motivation and bad employer image. But, the prevention of sexual harassment is also seen as an opportunity for positive change and a respectful workplace for all.

Dr. L¨¦?la Eisner and Dr. Tabea H?ssler from the Swiss LGBTIQ+ Panel extended the discussion on sexual harassment to those who are often forgotten: LGBTIQ+ persons, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and men are also affected by sexual harassment but often go unmentioned. They also presented data from the Swiss LGBTIQ+ Panel on experiences with sexual harassment.

The talk was moderated by ETH Diversity. It was a joint event of the ETH Domain and the national Sexual Harassment Awareness Day Project Group.

This event was held online in English. external page Video and Slides

Talk with Stella Harper, co-founder and co-director of SpeakUpETH, and Lilian Fankhauser, co-director of the Office for Equal Opportunities and contact person for sexual harassment at the University of Bern.

This talk will be conducted online in German. external page Participation Link

Talk with Marijn van der Meer, founder of the campaign Paye ton EPFL, and Aur¨¦lie Nusbaum-de Francesco, Avocate de la gestion des conflits du travail, personne de confiance et m¨¦diatrice.

This talk will be conducted online in French. external page Participation Link

The workshop will focus on verbal and nonverbal everyday interactions. Situations will be discussed where minorities in academia, such as women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, people with disabilities, etc, may be unconsciously marginalized. The goal of this workshop is to learn more about how to be welcoming and inclusive in your language and behavior when working with people from a variety of backgrounds, and how to better manage own experiences of exclusion and associated feelings. This event is a collaboration between WSL's D&I and ETH Diversity.

The workshop will take place at WSL in Birmensdorf (room details to follow). The number of participants is limited. ETH members please register by email to . Language (DE/EN) tbd

Cases of sexual harassment are exceptional situations for victims, perpetrators and their environment. This places a special responsibility on institutions to deal with such crises with the utmost care and while respecting the rights of all parties involved. The panel will show what needs to be taken into account.

This online panel takes place in German and French simultaneously. external page Participation Link

MeWell organizes a self-defence workshop led by professional Krav Maga instructors. The workshop is open to all students and university employees of all genders. Places are limited and registration is required. external page More information.

The workshop will be held at ETH Zurich LFV E 41 and is conducted in English.