Limiting the negative effects it has on our society

Discrimination is something we all will come into contact with at some point in our lives. Whether that is directly or indirectly, we all must make an effort to deal with discrimination the right way and limit the negative effects it has on our society.

The Equality Act 2010

This is part of UK law, which requires organisations (such as the University) to take measures to discourage discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics (such as race, age, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity). This means proactively tackling discrimination and bullying and promoting respect and understanding of issues affecting marginalised groups.

In order to do this, we need to know about incidents of discrimination within the University or that are affecting our students and staff.

Understanding the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 is a pivotal piece of legislation that ensures fairness and equality across various aspects of life in the UK. It is designed to protect individuals from discrimination based on specific protected characteristics and to promote a more inclusive society.

Key Concepts and Protected Characteristics

Part 2, Chapter 1 of the Equality Act 2010 outlines key concepts about equality, defining protected characteristics to prevent discrimination. These characteristics include:

·      Age

·      Disability

·      Gender reassignment

·      Marriage and civil partnership

·      Race

·      Religion or belief

·      Sex

·      Sexual orientation

Individuals that have these characteristics are legally protected from discrimination in contexts such as work, education, and access to services.

Types of Discrimination

The Act defines various forms of discrimination, including:

·      Direct Discrimination: Treating someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic.

·      Indirect Discrimination: Implementing policies or practices that apply to everyone but disadvantage a particular group.

·      Harassment: Unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that violates a person's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment.

·      Victimisation: Treating someone unfavourably because they have made or supported a complaint about discrimination.

Duties of Employers and Service Providers

The Act imposes specific duties on employers, service providers, and public functions to ensure equal access and treatment. These include making reasonable adjustments for disabled persons to accommodate their needs and ensure they have equal opportunities.

Prohibited Conduct Related to Specific Characteristics

Part 2, Chapter 2 of the Equality Act 2010 delves into prohibited conduct, detailing specific protections for disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy, and maternity:

·      Disability Discrimination: Occurs when a person is treated unfavourably due to something arising from their disability, unless the treatment can be justified as a necessary means of achieving a legitimate goal.

·      Gender Reassignment Discrimination: Protects individuals who are absent from work due to gender reassignment, ensuring they are not treated less favourably than if their absence was due to sickness or another justified reason.

·      Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination (Non-Work Cases): It is unlawful to treat a woman unfavourably because of her pregnancy or because she has given birth, including breastfeeding.

·      Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination (Work Cases): Similar protections apply in the workplace, where it is illegal to treat a woman unfavourably during the 'protected period' of her pregnancy and maternity leave.

The Equality Act 2010 requires proactive measures to tackle discrimination, ensuring a respectful and inclusive environment for all. At the University of Leicester, we are committed to upholding these principles, fostering an environment where diversity is celebrated, and everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Being an Active Bystander

Everyone should feel confident challenging discriminatory or derogatory language. There are a few ways to go about doing this. Try some of the phrases below:

Establish Their Understanding:

- “What do you mean by ‘that’s so gay’?”

- “Do you know what that word actually means?”

Explain the Meaning:

- “Gay is a word we use to describe […] not a nasty word to use as an insult.”

Use Empathy:

- “How do you think you would feel if someone called you names like that?”

- “That language is really hurtful/offensive to me/others.”

Link to Our Ethos and Policy:

- “As students here, we don’t use language like that. We are kind and respectful to everyone.”

Challenge Them Directly (if you feel comfortable and safe to do so):

- “You know that that language is absolutely unacceptable.”

- “Why are you saying that word?”

- “You should be ashamed of yourself for talking to someone that way.”

Welfare

The Student Welfare service is located in the Percy Gee Building and offers practical support for all students – find out more here.

The Student Welfare service offers detailed support for:

·      Carers

·      Care leavers

·      Estranged students

·      Mature students

·      Asylum seekers and refugees

·      Students experiencing financial hardship

And specialist advice on:

·      Finances and budgeting

·      Student Finance

·      Benefits

·      Personal circumstances

Appointments can be made remotely or in person at the Percy Gee Building. For more information, contact welfare@leicester.ac.uk

Standing Together

Find out more about the ‘Standing Together’ program here.

Students and staff at the University of Leicester are Standing Together to create an inclusive, respectful and safe campus for working, learning and studying. Standing Together is a university-wide initiative improving wellbeing by tackling unacceptable behaviours and supporting students and the wider University community, who are directly and indirectly affected. The Standing Together team is made up of case workers who are trained in receiving disclosures and offering support. All Case Workers are trained Sexual Violence Liaison Officers. They respond to disclosures given through the Report & Support system.

The program offers:

·      Information on specialist support services within and outside the university.

·      Exploring options for accessing support or making reports.

·      Communication with academic departments on behalf of students.

·      Support through formal processes such as Report & Support.

Appointments are available remotely or in person at the Percy Gee Building. For more information, contact the team at standingtogether@le.ac.uk.

Report & Support

Have you experiences unacceptable behaviour? Find out how we can support you here.

Report & Support is our online disclosure system. It provides support to members of our university community who have been subjected to unacceptable behaviours. Examples of unacceptable behaviours include bullying, harassment, abuse, physical assault, sexual violence, hate incidents or hate crimes. If you’ve been subjected to discriminatory behaviour, you can disclose it to us to investigate further (if you’d like us to), and ensure you are safe and supported. You can send disclosures anonymously if you wish. Visit reportandsupport.le.ac.uk.

Reporting and Investigation Process

If you experience or witness discrimination or any other unacceptable behaviour at the University of Leicester, it's important to know how to report it and what the process involves.

Report

To start the process, you must meet with a "Standing Together Case Worker" who will explain the reporting process and support you throughout. The first step is completing the reporting form that is sent to the Student Conduct Office.

Case Review & Interview

Once the Student Conduct Office receives your report, they will review it and decide whether to go ahead with an investigation. If the case progresses, an investigating officer will contact you to arrange an interview date. You can have a friend or supporter attend this interview with you. This is your chance to provide your account and any supporting evidence.

Reported Interview

The student being reported will also be interviewed and asked to respond to your account. They too can present any evidence they have.

Consideration

The investigator compiles all the gathered information into a report that is sent to the Academic Registrar. The Academic Registrar will make one of three decisions:

1.     Dismiss the case.

2.     Confirm a breach and award a sanction.

3.     Refer the case to a discipline panel for further review.

Outcomes

·      Case Dismissed: If there is no evidence of a breach, the case will be dismissed without further action, and you will not be notified.

·      Breach Found: If a breach is confirmed, the Academic Registrar will issue a sanction proportionate to the breach. You will be notified of this outcome and any sanctions.

·      Discipline Panel: In complex cases, such as those involving severe misconduct, the matter may be referred to a discipline panel consisting of academics and professional services staff. They review the investigator’s report and decide on the proper action. You will be informed of the panel’s decision.

Conclusion

If a breach is found, the reported student has the right to appeal the decision. If you are the reporting student, you can file a complaint with the university or the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) if you believe there was a failure in the process.

Points to Note

·      The investigation can take up to 90 days.

·      Risk assessments are conducted throughout the process to ensure all necessary precautions are considered.

By understanding this process, you can feel more confident in taking the necessary steps to report and address any issues of discrimination or unacceptable behaviour you may meet at the University of Leicester. 

Immediate Support

Need help right now? Find support here.

If it’s a life-threatening emergency, a crime has been committed or you need immediate help, please call 999. If you are on campus, or in a university building and need help, contact our security on 0116 252 2888 (or via the emergency button in the SafeZone app) who are available 24/7. If you need urgent NHS Mental Health Support, you should call the 24-hour Central Access Point on 0116 295 3060.

Victim First

An independent and confidential service that supports victims through their journey of recovery. They can support you coping with the aftereffects of crime and help with reporting to the police. Visit victimfirst.org.

Galop

Emotional and practical support for LGBTQ+ people. They can give independent advice to those who have experienced violence, threats, intimidation and/or insults due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Call 0800 999 5428 or visit galop.org.uk.

Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

Advises and helps with issues relating to equality and human rights across England, Scotland and Wales (e.g. if you’ve been treated unfairly due to a protected characteristic). Call 0808 800 0082 or visit equalityadvisoryservice.com.

This is part of UK law, which requires organisations (such as the University) to take measures to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics (such as race, age, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity).

This means proactively tackling discrimination and bullying and promoting respect and understanding of issues affecting marginalised groups.

In order to do this, we need to know about incidents of discrimination within the University that are affecting our students and staff. 

Report & Support 

Report & Support is our online disclosure system. It provides support to members of our University community whohave been subjected to unacceptable behaviours. Examples of unacceptable behaviours include bullying, harassment, abuse, physical assault, sexual violence, hate incidents or hate crimes.

If you’ve been subjected to discriminatory behaviour you can disclose it to us to investigate further (if you’d like us to), and ensure you are safe and supported. You can submit disclosures anonymously if you wish.

Website: reportandsupport.le.ac.uk 

Standing Together 

Students and staff at the University of Leicester are Standing Together to create an inclusive, respectful and safe campus for working, learning and studying.

Standing Together is a University-wide initiative to improve wellbeing by tackling unacceptable behaviours and supporting students and the wider University community, who are directly and indirectly affected.

The Standing Together team is made up of male and female Case Workers who are trained in receiving disclosures and offering support. All Case Workers are trained Sexual Violence Liaison Officers. They respond to disclosures submitted through the Report & Support system. 

Immediate support 

If it’s a life-threatening emergency, a crime has been committed or you need immediate help, please call 999.

If you are on campus, or in a University building and need help, contact our security on 0116 252 2888 (or via the emergency button in the SafeZone app) who are available 24/7.

If you are in need of urgent NHS Mental Health Support you should call the 24-hour Central Access Point on 0116 295 3060. 

Victim First 

An independent and confidential service that supports victims through their journey of recovery. They can support you in coping with the after-effects of crime and help with reporting to the police.

Website: victimfirst.org

Galop 

Emotional and practical support for LGBTQ+ people. They are able to give independent advice to those who have experienced violence, threats, intimidation and/or insults due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Tel: 0800 999 5428Website: galop.org.uk 

Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

Advises and assists on issues relating to equality and human rights across England, Scotland and Wales (e.g. if you’ve been treated unfairly due to a protected characteristic).

Tel: 0808 800 0082Website: www.equalityadvisoryservice.com 

BEING AN ACTIVE BYSTANDER 

Everyone should feel confident challenging discriminatory or derogatory language. There are a few ways to go about doing this. Try some of the phrases below: 

• Establish their understanding“What do you mean by ‘that’s so gay’?” “Do you know what that word actually means?”

• Explain the meaning“Gay is a word we use to describe [...] not a nasty word to use as an insult.”

• Use empathy“How do you think you would feel if someone called you names like that?”“That language is really hurtful/ offensive to me/others.”

• Link to our ethos and policy“As students here, we don’t use language like that. We are kind and respectful to everyone.”

• Challenge them directly (if you feel comfortable and safe to do so)“You know that that language is absolutely unacceptable.”“Why are you saying that word?”“You should be ashamed of yourself for talking to someone that way.”

Please contact us if you experience or witness any form of discrimination as soon as possible, so we do our best to help resolve the situation.