Breaking the Silence

Cambridge University’s Breaking the Silence Campaign aims to tackle issues of sexual misconduct.

As part of this campaign the Clinical School will be holding an information session hosted by the School’s Senior Leadership Team. The session will outline the ‘Where do you draw the line?’ sexual harassment prevention approach developed collaboratively by UCL and the Universities of Cambridge, Manchester and Oxford.

The session explores the proposition that harassment in contemporary academia is more commonplace and widespread than we would like to admit, but that it is often nuanced, coded and/or covert. The training offers individuals the opportunity to undertake a collective analysis of the individual and contextual factors that might create and perpetuate a work environment in which harassment and bullying occur and empower participants to work collaboratively to address this.

There is no place for any form of harassment or sexual misconduct at the University of Cambridge. The University is dedicated to creating and maintaining a safe, welcoming, inclusive and diverse community that nurtures a culture of mutual respect and consideration. All members of the University community must be able to thrive within their roles without fear of sexual violence, abuse, coercive behaviour or related misconduct.

Any form of harassment or sexual misconduct is contrary to the values and ideals of our shared community. Such behaviour subverts the University’s mission and core values, and diminishes the integrity and dignity of all parties. The University will continuously work to improve the prevention, response, support and investigation of all instances of harassment and sexual misconduct; and to enable staff and students to make disclosures without fear of reprisal.

The collegiate University's mission can be achieved only by collaboration. All members of the University community have an individual and a collective responsibility to ensure that their professional relationships are sensitive to the imbalances of power that exist within any organisation, and to promote a culture of inclusivity, underpinned by mutual respect.