Webinar: “Towards a zero-tolerance approach” with Aoife Grimes (in conversation with Sara Hassan)

Join us for this webinar with Aoife Grimes, coordinator of the ESHTE (Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Third Level Education) project from 2022-2023. In her role, she compiled the work of the Irish National Advisory Committee (the NAC) into the National Women’s Council’s  Good Practice Guide.  

What does it mean to implement policy with a trauma-informed, practitioner-informed and victim-survivor-centered approach? In conversation with trainer and educator Sara Hassan, Aoife Grimes will share key lessons from her work from creating policy formulations to building a culture of zero tolerance. 

The following questions will be discussed: How can implementation and practice give life to policy frameworks to end gender-based violence in higher education? What are specific hurdles to overcome, patterns to look out for and lessons learned from the collective process of creating implementation guidelines towards a zero-tolerance framework? And what strategies can be passed on to practitioners in the process of designing a policy framework today? 

Learning objectives

• Gain a common understanding of what a victim-survivor-centered approach means in policy implementation 

• Get insight into the key lessons of a practitioner on how to initiate institutional change adopting a victim-survivor perspective 

• Learn about pitfalls and precautions when implementing policy formulations from this standpoint 

• Get inspired about good practices, get in conversation about moving towards a zero-tolerance approach  

Who is it for?

The webinar is addressed to   

• Gender equality officers/focal points, equality and/or diversity officers  

• Human resources officers  

• Gender equality plan implementing teams  

• Health and safety officers  

• Head of Departments/Units in charge or involved in gender-based violence 

• Trainers on the topic of gender-based violence in academic settings   

• Students interested in policy implementation 

• Anyone interested in understanding what concrete steps are necessary to establish policies with a victim-centered approach. 

The webinar is addressed to those at the beginning stages of creating and implementing a policy framework to address gender-based violence in academia. As seats are limited, priority will be given to individuals at the initial stages of developing and implementing policies to address gender-based violence within their institution and correspond to the profile of participants. Preference will be given to individuals from countries participating in Horizon Europe with special consideration for registrants from ‘Widening countries’ as defined by the European Commission. We kindly ask for your understanding as we strive to include a diverse range of participants.

Introducing the panel

Aoife Grimes (she/her) is a researcher and educator with a focus on sexual violence and Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) in Ireland. Her research interests include victim-survivor centered policy responses to sexual violence and state-funded support for victim-survivors in the Criminal Justice System.  

She has a MA from the Centre for Women and Child Abuse in London Metropolitan University, where her thesis research was supervised by Prof. Liz Kelly. Ms. Grimes was co-ordinator of the ESHTE (Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Third Level Education) project from 2022-2023. In consultation with the ESHTE National Advisory Committee, she compiled Towards a Zero Tolerance Approach (2023), advising Higher Education Institutions in Ireland on good practice connected to sexual violence prevention and response. Ms Grimes has previously held roles in sexual violence support and research in Trinity College Dublin. She is based in Dublin, as an Education and Training officer in Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. 

Sara Hassan (they/them) is a writer, trainer, and moderator working on power abuse with an intersectional perspective.  Originally trained as a journalist, Sara worked in the field of political communication, including in the European Parliament. Their work on gender justice turned into a book about power abuse, It’s not that grey, to identify early warning signs of harassment. Sara got their Master’s degree at New York University as a Fulbright Austria scholar. Today, Sara works as a consultant with various international organizations to create more equitable workplaces and gives lectures on abuse of power abuse.