Discrimination and harassment

Overview

We’re proud to be an inclusive, tolerant and diverse community, where the diversity of people, opinions, and beliefs can and does thrive.

We appreciate that sometimes students will suffer prejudice, discrimination, harassment and violence on account of their race, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith or disability, or are victims of hate crime. We’re actively tackling all areas of discrimation and harassment, and are committed to ensuring that all our students and staff are confident that they study, work and live in a safe and inclusive environment.

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Report and Support system

If any member of our community experiences any form of discrimination, they can seek support or report through our dedicated Report and Support platform.

We’re committed to supporting people who have experienced any form of discrimination such as harassment, abuse, bullying, or sexual violence that may be based on race, gender, sexuality, disability or other characteristics.

We have dedicated and trained staff across the University who can provide support and advice.

Sexual violence, harrassement and abuse

We’re actively addressing sexual violence, harrassment and abuse on campus by ensuring that all students have access to appropriate support.

Any forms of harassment and sexual misconduct will not be tolerated. Our Sexual Violence and Harrassment Steering Group, chaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, is committed to ensuring that we have a clear and concise approach to preventing and responding to all forms of harrassment and sexual misconduct.

Sexual Violence Liason Officer Team

Our Sexual Violence Liason Officer team (SVLOs) have had comprehensive training by LimeCulture (UK’s leading sexual violence training and consultancy organisation). This equips them with the knowledge and specialist skills to identify risk and appropriately support the needs of students and staff who have experienced sexual violence.

Our SVLO team is also accredited by Male Survivors Partnership and LimeCulture for services supporting male survivors of sexual violence.

Hate incidents

These are rare and Sheffield is a safe and welcoming city for all students. We work closely with our Students' Union and other organisations in the communities in which we work, live and study to ensure that effective links are developed to achieve this.

Our Security Management Team is heavily involved with partnership initiatives across the city, involving the police, Sheffield City Council, community groups and other stakeholders.

Our Head of Security is the chair of the city's multi-agency Hate Crime Priority group, which was formed to support and inform the work of the Sheffield Community Safety Partnership to address hate crimes across the city. The group has strong links with the Sheffield Chinese Community Centre.

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Security services

We have a highly trained security team available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If our students have concerns or want to report an incident, they should contact the Security Services team.

We also employ two South Yorkshire Police Officers who are dedicated to the University. These officers act as a direct point of contact with South Yorkshire Police for ongoing investigations. The officers are always available to speak with students to offer reassurance and guidance.