The Vice-Rector for Equality at UMA, María José Berlanga, defends the institution's actions following the TSJA's endorsement of a three-year sanction against a professor for harassing a colleague. Last year, eleven cases were recorded, and only one formally activated the protocol.
The University of Málaga recorded eleven cases of possible harassment situations during the last academic year, of which only one led to the formal opening of the protocol. This was detailed by the Vice-Rector for Equality and Social Policy of UMA, María José Berlanga, in an interview published by Diario Sur, after the High Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA) endorsed the three-year suspension of employment and salary imposed on a professor for sexual harassment of a colleague.
Berlanga argues that the judicial resolution confirms that the academic institution acted correctly. "The resolution corroborates that the institution did its job and did it well," states the vice-rector, who emphasizes that the case breaks the usual pattern: the victim was a man and the sanctioned individual was a woman, both professors with no hierarchical relationship between them.
Regarding the statistic of eight cases with activated protocols since 2017, Berlanga clarifies that it does not reflect all real situations, as many are resolved through intervention from the vice-rectorate without reaching the harassment committee. "There are many cases that are resolved without having to reach the harassment committee or activate the protocol," she explains. In the last academic year, of the eleven recorded cases, only one reached the end of July and concluded in September with a hearing for the accused party.
The majority profile of victims remains that of female students, while the harasser is usually a peer or a member of the teaching and research staff (PDI). However, the vice-rector clarifies that it is not always strictly sexual harassment, but also inappropriate behaviours that the institution addresses.
"I don't know if I would dare to call it fear, which may also exist, but above all there is the doubt of thinking: Will it harm me more than it will benefit me?"
When asked about the silence that may exist among faculty members, Berlanga points out that the hierarchy among teachers is a pending issue and that perhaps it is there that there is more silence regarding possible harassment situations. The vice-rector guarantees the full support of the Rectorate to those who report and believes that there is now more freedom to do so than in the past.
In terms of equality, Berlanga expresses concern that some young people believe that equality has already been achieved. She also warns that economic and housing difficulties should not determine who can study at UMA. "The economic level to pay for an apartment should not determine who can study at UMA," she asserts.
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