A safe and inclusive campus
The EmilyTest Gender-Based Violence Charter Award was set up in memory of Emily Drouet, an undergraduate student who took her own life after being subjected to a campaign of gender-based violence by a fellow student at her institution. EmilyTest seeks to improve GBV prevention, intervention, and support in further and higher education, and the Charter sets out over 40 standards across five key area that aim to answer the question ‘Would your institution have saved Emily’s life?’.
In 2021, the University participated in the pilot of the EmilyTest GBV Charter before going on to apply for full charter status in 2022. In preparation of the charter application, the University worked closely with Equally Safe, a group of student representatives and staff who are passionate in their work to address GBV in all its forms, to map and evidence how their work meets the standards of the charter.
The Charter, the first of its kind in the world, is entirely evidence-based and aims to ensure institutions are as safe as possible in preventing and addressing GBV on their campuses, helping students to live, work and study free from the harms and threats of GBV.
The EmilyTest charity focuses on tackling gender-based violence in education and, alongside the Charter, has developed training programmes and a risk assessment, helping to ensure universities and colleges have the skills, training and resources needed to keep students safe. Ultimately, the Charter aims to ensure that no other student suffers the same fate as Emily.
The EmilyTest GBV programme is supported and funded by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery Community Fund and is in the process of expanding into England, where institutions have been impressed by the inspiring work of EmilyTest in Scotland.