Harassment & Sexual Misconduct Guidance and Information

Harassment is the unwanted behaviour must have either violated the person's dignity, or created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person. This includes behaviour where these effects where not intended, or where the behaviour was intended to have one of these effects even if it did not.

Unwanted behaviour can occur as a single incident or persistent behaviour and can be spoken or written words imagery, graffiti, gestures, mimicry, jokes, pranks, physical behaviour that affects the person.

Harassment can range from behaviour that seems obvious to anyone or subtler behaviour less obvious to either the person responsible for the behaviour or to the recipient. Often the impact is not felt or witnessed immediately. The impact may go beyond the recipient to people who see or hear what happens or who try to offer support.

Sexual assault is a criminal offence and contrary to our Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Bullying and Harassment.

A person commits sexual assault if they intentionally touch another person, the touching is sexual and the person does not consent.

It involves all unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature and ranges from pinching, embracing, groping and kissing, to rape and sexual assault which involves penetration without consent.

Consent is agreeing by choice and having the freedom and capacity to make that choice.

A person is free to make a choice if nothing bad would happen to them if they said no. 

A person is not free to choose if:

• they are being threatened with violence (either by the perpetrator or by someone else)
• they fear a negative impact on their educational outcomes (e.g. assessment grades or awards) if they refuse
• they are being blackmailed using images or social sabotage

Similarly, someone may not feel free to make a choice if there is a power imbalance; this could be due to age, status, position and/or authority or some kind of dependency (e.g. drug/alcohol use, financial control).

Capacity is about whether someone is physically and/or mentally able to make a choice and to understand the consequences of that choice.  

A person does not have the capacity to give consent if:    

• they are drunk or under the influence of drugs - this means someone may still be physically able to have sex but they may not be able to consent
• they are asleep or unconscious
• a person may also not have capacity to give consent if they have a disability or impairment, including learning difficulty, physical disability or mental health condition​​​​​​​A person commits sexual assault if they intentionally touch another person, the touching is sexual and the person does not consent.

It involves all unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature and ranges from pinching, embracing, groping and kissing, to rape and sexual assault which involves penetration without consent.

Sexual harassment is any form of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature (physical, verbal, non-verbal, in writing, virtually, via social media etc) that offends, upsets, degrades, intimidates or is hostile to the person experiencing it.

Sexual harassment can include but is not limited to:

• catcalling
• following
• making unnecessary and unwanted physical contact,
• sexual jokes and comments,
• giving unwelcome personal gifts,
• wolf-whistling,
• leering,
• derogatory comments,
• unwelcome comments about a person’s body or clothing,
• asking unwelcome questions about a person’s sex life and/or sexuality,
• engaging in unwelcome sexual propositions,
• invitations and flirtation,
• making somebody feel uncomfortable through displaying or sharing sexual material.

Sexual harassment does not necessarily occur face to face and can be in the form of emails, visual images (such as sexually explicit pictures on walls in a shared environment), social media, telephone, text messages and image based sexual abuse.

The term sexual misconduct describes misuses of power.

Sexual misconduct can include harassment, assault, grooming, bullying, sexual invitations, comments and non-verbal communication with sexual content or overtones, creation of atmospheres of discomfort, and promised resources in exchange for sexual access. 

The term ‘sexual harassment’ captures only some of the possible abuses of power that may occur. 

Sexual misconduct more specifically raises issues of unequal relationships, consent, and the prevention of equal access to education, opportunities and career progression. Intimate relationships between staff and students are strongly discouraged as detailed in Staff, Student Relationship Policy 

Sexual violence is any unwanted (non-consensual) sexual act or activity. There are many different kinds of sexual violence that exist including but not restricted to: 

• rape
• sexual assault
• child sexual abuse
• sexual harassment
• coercion
• gaslighting
• rape and assault within marriage and relationships
• female genital mutilation
• trafficking and sexual exploitation
• forced marriage
• so-called honour-based violence and ritual abuse, which can also be forms of domestic violence. 

Sexual violence can be psychological and/or physical.  

With hate crime it is ‘who’ the victim is, or ‘what’ the victim appears to be that motivates the offender to commit the crime.

A hate crime is defined as 'any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.'

A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.

Not all hate incidents will amount to criminal offences, but it is equally important that these are reported and recorded by the police.

If you've been sexually assaulted it's important to remember that it was not your fault. 

What you do next is your choice. 

Think 

• Are your in immediate danger? you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile) or if you are in RADA the reception team 020 7636 7076
• Finding a safe space. If it has just happened find a safe place you feel comfortable in and safe.
• It might help to think about what is sexual harassment, assault or misconduct

Report

• Students and staff can report an incident using Report a Concern. You can choose to do this anonymously or request support by filling in the form with your contact details.
• You can disclose to any RADA staff member and they should follow through with a Report a Concern submission which they will tell you and you can confirm with them if you want your name to be disclosed at that time.
• If you choose to report a member of staff or a student by naming them in your report, there are procedures which set out the actions the academy may take. This may include carrying out an investigation.

Get Support 

You can make named (leave your details) report via Report a Concern. For students someone from Student & Academic Services will reach out for Staff a member of HR.

Or you can make an Anonymous report but we will not be able to offer you direct support.

If you think someone you know has been sexually harassed there are lots of ways in which you can help them.

Understanding the behaviours associated with sexual harassment is a good place to start. Most people will be able to describe what has or is happening to them and how it's making them feel.

Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature which violates your dignity, makes you feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated, or creates a hostile or offensive environment

Think

Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile) or if you are in RADA the reception team 020 7636 7076

Finding a safe space

If possible, try and find somewhere they feel safe. Talk Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened can help.

These six active listening tips based on the Samaritans guidelines for active listening might help you support them.

Give options

When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps.

Please encourage them to refer to NHS: Help after rape and sexual assault in the first instance.

Report

Please encourage them to report via Report a Concern or you can make one on their behalf either by providing their details so we can reach out and offer support or anonymously.

Get Support

You may want to seek some support for yourself.

Students reach out to wellbeing team wellbeing@rada.ac.uk

Staff you can find more support here Staff Wellbeing at RADA or call Employee Assistance Programme Freephone 0808 304 3698​

Reporting

We believe that any form of harassment, sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence, stalking and sexual misconduct are never OK.

All staff, students and visitors to can report something either anonymously or with contact details so you will get a response via Report a Concern.

Reports can be about an individual, a group of people or cultures.

Staff, students and visitors can now also report issues of safeguarding, hate crimes, racism or racially-motivated harassment on campus using the Report a Concern system.

Externally 

Police about rape and sexual assault

Investigation

When we receive an allegation we will follow the relevant policy procedures.

• Staff Student Relationship Policy
• Student non-Academic Misconduct Policy
• Sexual Misconduct, Harassment and Bullying Policy
• Staff Disciplinary Policy

All these policies can be found in our Regulations and Policies page.

Support

Support is offered to the reporting and responding party.

I have been accused of something

It can be very distressing if you have been accused of sexual violence, sexual harassment and/or sexual misconduct.

We will not make assumptions on the relative merits of a report. No party will be considered ‘at fault’ until a report has been reviewed and/or investigated. All those involved will be treated fairly and offered advice and support.

Students

Contact wellbeing team and/or use Report a Concern to let us know what has happened we can then offer you support and explain internal disciplinary processes if needed as well as helping you get external support.

Staff

Contact HR hr@rada.ac.uk and/or use Report a Concern to let us know what has happened we can then offer you support and explain internal disciplinary processes if needed as well as helping you get external support. Below is a link to UNUM and the staff wellbeing SharePoint page

Report to A&E, in person or Call 999 and request an ambulance

Report to Police, Call 999 in an emergency

Alternatively, call Police non-emergency number 101 or attend any local Police station

​​​​​​​The below link will also give you more information about external organisations you can contact.

Students on our Degree courses and staff will be provided with online and in person training sessions covering consent, sexual misconduct & harassment, reporting processes.