Student Knowledge and Awareness of the University Policy, Procedures, and Resources on Sexual Harassment in a College in the University of the Philippines: A Survey

Abstract

The prevalence of sexual harassment of students in universities in different parts of the world, and its far-reaching effects, are well-established. As a response and in compliance with national laws, the University of the Philippines (UP) has put in place an anti-sexual harassment policy, as well as resources and mechanisms relevant to sexual harassment. However, student awareness of such policy and procedures has not yet been investigated. An online survey was done in one College of one of the eight constituent universities (CUs) of the UP to assess undergraduate students' familiarity with University resources, support services, and reporting mechanisms pertaining to sexual harassment, particularly those offered by the Center for Women and Gender Studies (CWGS) of the UP System; the Gender offices of the college and of the CU; Office for Student Services of the college and of the CU; the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the local police force. The CU and the college where the study was done are purposely not identified for ethical reasons. Cronbach's alpha values indicated that the survey questionnaire was reliable. There were 218 verifiable responses out of 1,276 who were invited to take the survey. Students who were not at all aware of the services of the seven offices considered ranged from 2.6% to 23.6%. The major trend for student knowledge on sexual harassment and related conduct was that of insufficient knowledge (fair to poor) of each of the aspects considered. Knowledge about complaint-related issues was also fair to poor. Thus, there is a need to increase student knowledge of the University SH policy and awareness of procedures and resources that pertain to sexual harassment.