Research involving more than 2,000 support staff working in UK schools has laid bare disturbing stories of sexual harassment perpetrated by both colleagues and students – in both primary and secondary schools.
Staff are regularly targeted by physical advances, inappropriate comments, and lewd remarks.
The study, which has been carried out by UNISON and UK Feminista, finds that 10% of female support staff in secondary schools say they have been sexually harassed, mainly by male pupils but also by their male colleagues.
Furthermore, 25% of secondary school support staff have witnessed sexual harassment in their workplace during the past five years.
Disturbingly, 42% of staff who witnessed abusive incidents did not report them because they said it was “pointless” as incidents are often “brushed off” or they were worried that reporting it would affect their careers.
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