Information for students
NMIT is committed to promoting and maintaining an environment that is free from sexual harassment.
Further Information
Please view the Policy and Procedure for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Students.
Counsellors
To see a counsellor you need to contact the Student Services Office at your campus:
Contact the Student Welfare Coordinator at Preston Student Services on
(03) 9269 1314. The Equal Opportunity Commission
The EOC offers free, impartial confidential information and is located at:
3/380 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
Advice Line: (03) 9281 7100
TTY: (03) 9281 7110
Freecall: 1800 134 142 (country callers)
Website: www.eoc.vic.gov.au
What to do if Harassed
Take positive steps to stop the sexual harassment such as:
- Tell the harasser to stop
- Talk to a counsellor or a teacher
- Speak to the Student Welfare Coordinator in Student Services
Don’t ignore the harassment. Criminal Offences
Actions such as obscene or unwanted telephone calls and letters, indecent exposure, stalking, assault and rape are criminal offences and should be reported to the police.
Confidentiality
All parties are entitled to confidentiality in the sexual harassment complaint resolution process.
It is important that you do not publicly name the person you believe has sexually harassed you.
What is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment is any unwelcomed and unreciprocated conduct of a sexual nature that is reasonably likely in the circumstances to offend, humiliate or intimidate another person.
Conduct of a sexual nature includes:
- Subjecting a person to any act of physical intimacy
- Making written or oral remarks or statements with sexual connotations to a person or about a person
- Making any gesture, action or comment of a sexual nature in a person’s presence
Sexual Harassment can consist of any of the following:
- Sexually offensive staring, leering or gesturing
- Sex oriented verbal suggestions or propositions such as continual requests for a date
- Sexually based jokes, remarks or innuendos directed at another person or in that other person’s hearing
- Physical contact of a sexual nature such as patting, pinching or brushing against another person
- Demanding sexual favours in exchange for certain rewards
- Inappropriate use of the computer network
4 Step Complaint Resolution Procedure STEP 1. Self - Management
Seek advice
Speak to a counsellor
Talk to a teacher
Contact the equal
Opportunity Commission for information and advice
Talk to the person
Where appropriate, raise the matter either verbally or in writing with the person who has undertaken the behaviour requesting that it stop.
If unable to raise the issue directly, speak to a member of teaching staff or to the Student Welfare Coordinator in the Student Services department.
If the matter remains unresolved after these initial attempts, you may wish to proceed to the next stop of complaint resolution process.
STEP 2. Informal Internal Process
Contact the Student Welfare Coordinator who will attempt to resolve the complaint.
In an attempt to resolve the matter, the Student Welfare Coordinator may:
Speak to the other person
Arrange a meeting
Request the assistance of an independent person (conciliator) to meet with the parties
If the matter remains unresolved after these initial attempts, you may wish to proceed to a formal complaint resolution process.
STEP 3.
Formal Internal Complaint
Lodge your complaint in writing with the relevant Associate Director / Academic Head of Higher Education or Manager, Student Services.
Appropriate meetings will be convened within 5 working days with the parties (unless previously attempted).
At this stage there are 2 options Conciliation or Investigation where conciliation is attempted, the conciliator will provide all parties with a written summary of
agreements entered into at the conclusion of the process, regardless of the outcome.
Where conciliation fails to resolve the matter, or is not attempted, the relevant
Associate Director / Academic Head of Higher Education or Manager, Student Services will investigate the complaint and forward a report and recommendations to the CEO.
Where sexual harassment is deemed to have occurred, disciplinary action may be taken against the respondent under the relevant Student Discipline or Staff
Employment Procedures.
Where sexual harassment has not been proven, the complainant will be informed and be advised of external avenues of redress, if dissatisfied with the outcome.
STEP 4.
External Complaint
If dissatisfied with the outcome of attempts to resolve the matter, you may wish to lodge a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission.
Policy and Procedure for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Students |
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