Summary We launched our inquiry into racial harassment in publicly funded universities in Britain to examine staff and students’ experiences of racial harassment and the effect they might have on their education, career and wellbeing.
We also wanted to look at the extent to which universities have in place available, accessible and effective routes to redress for their staff and students if they experience racial harassment.
Our inquiry looked at how easy and effective the routes for reporting racial harassment are in HEIs, and how effectively reports are dealt with.
We wanted to hear from students and staff who experienced, witnessed or helped in a incident of racial harassment in a HEI in England, Scotland or Wales (after September 2015). We also wanted to hear from anyone who had other information relevant to this inquiry.
Publicly funded universities were also required to provide detailed information about the processes they have in place to support staff and students who have experienced or witnessed racial harassment.
We were focusing on higher education institutions that received funding from the Office for Students, the Scottish Funding Council or the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales in the academic year 2018 to 2019.
However, we expect that our findings and recommendations for action will be relevant to all higher education providers. We will work with the wider sector to promote effective practice.
An inquiry is a way for us to find out more about equality, diversity or human rights within a particular sector or about a specific issue. It is one of our powers.
Why were we inquiring in this area?
Feeling a sense of belonging is an important factor in students and staff reaching their potential. Racial harassment can make people feel they don't belong somewhere.
Research suggests significant numbers of ethnic minority students are victims of racial harassment, and many are very anxious about the issue. Ethnic minority staff are also more likely to say they experience harassment working in universities than their white peers.
We want to better understand the experiences of staff and students who experience racial harassment and how effectively they can seek redress. We think this is an important part of feeling able to pursue studies and careers in higher education.
Understanding this is important due to the link between race and achievement or participation in higher education.
