We believe that everyone has the right to live, work and study in an environment free from the fear of harassment or violence.
The ‘Speak Up! Stand Up!’ campaign is a collaboration between the University and the University of Manchester Students Union. It aims to empower people to be an active bystander and take action against gender-based violence, harassment and hate.
Acts of harassment and violence committed because of a person’s identity often start with negative attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes about other people. These beliefs are cultivated through exposure and repeated reinforcement by those around them and they can form prejudices. These prejudices can form biases and present in a variety of forms including:
- Ageism
- Disabalism
- Homophobia
- Racism
- Religious Hate
- Sexism
- Transphobia
Bystanders
A bystander is someone who might witness a problematic situation, they are not usually directly involved but are either present when an incident occurs or they are informed after it has happened. If bystanders remain passive and do not challenge negative attitudes and beliefs of others they can lead to prejudicial and biased behaviour and potentially more serious acts of discrimination hate and violence.
Active bystanders
An active bystander is someone who when they become aware of a problematic situation takes the responsibility to act. Our campaign uses a variety of activities to get people thinking and talking about potentially prejudicial and discriminatory behaviour and encourages everyone to become an active bystander. We're asking all members of our community:
- See It. Get to know the facts on harassment, hate crime and sexual violence.
- Know it’s a Problem. Think about the impact of negative attitudes and beliefs, and micro-aggressions and how they can lead to more serious acts of discrimination, hate and violence.
- Take Responsibility. Know that it’s everyone's responsibility to challenge problematic behaviour.
- Take Action. Act if they see something that doesn't feel right.
Get Involved
We want to create a culture where all members of our community are treated with respect and dignity.