MASA expresses its regret for the news about cases of sexual harassment, blackmail and abuse that are coming from the Petnica Investigation Station these days. A large number of employees in the field of science and higher education participated as collaborators in the work of this research station in the years behind us. Precisely because of this, we believe that the sensitization of all employees in education, and beyond, is necessary in order to react in a timely and adequate manner when the very signs of such events appear.
MASA calls on all educational and scientific institutions to always put the best interest of the victims first - before the image of the institution or friendly and collegial relations with the perpetrators. This is especially important when the victims are minors and young people who are not yet strong and mature enough to clearly set boundaries, as well as when there is an imbalance of power, as is often the case in the educational context. It is very important to give full trust to victims and not to minimize their experiences, because behind every woman who strengthens herself to ask for help and support, there are often dozens of those who keep their painful experiences inside with feelings of guilt and self-loathing.
Educational and scientific institutions must make efforts to educate both students and employees about what constitutes sexual harassment, and traditional gender roles and norms of behavior must not be an excuse to turn a blind eye to the unpleasant and traumatic experiences of victims. It is important that all participants recognize personal responsibility in that process. In the field of education, as in our entire society, we must develop zero tolerance for gender-based violence.
In an effort to help scientific and research institutions to introduce formal mechanisms for the protection of students and employees from sexual harassment, MASA initiated the implementation of research on the rules and practices of protection against sexual harassment, and the results of this study with recommendations intended for scientific and research institutions will be publicly available on available to all interested parties.
