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As a university collective against sexualised violence
On 23 March, the causes, forms and consequences of sexual harassment will be the subject of discussion. On this occasion, a wide range of committed people will have their say, such as the Dulifera collective.
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Activism as a means to an end
In the Dulifera collective, activism is used as a means to hold people accountable. "Activism means drawing public attention to a problem, and that's exactly what we do," the collective explains in an interview. Dulifera is made up of students from the University of Basel, who have made demands in an open letter to the university. The Dulifera collective is critical of both the university's reaction to their letter and its general handling of the issue of sexualised violence. The members of the collective would like to see more concrete action against sexual harassment instead of "mere justifications and symbolic politics".
Combat makes you stronger
Inspired by a plant and its properties, Dulifera tries to act much like the Dulifera plant (a spring weed): The more attempts are made to combat the spread of the weed, the more this spring weed strikes back via skidding fruits and spreads all the more. In other words, the collective understands obstacles as a direct incentive to continue. As an important preventive step in the fight against sexual harassment at the University of Basel, the collective would like to see, among other things, mandatory training that educates employees on the topic of sexualised violence. It is important to them that not only new employees are trained, but also long-serving professors. According to a spokesperson for the collective, many professors and other people in leading positions lack awareness of their position of power within the university. Dulifera therefore also calls for a comprehensive and genuine questioning of power hierarchies. There needs to be a reflective approach to positions of power and clear solidarity and partiality with those affected.
On 23 March and afterwards
For Sexual Harassment Awareness Day, the Dulifera collective is organising a rally in front of the Kollegienhaus at 12 noon and a panel discussion on how their university deals with sexualised violence in auditorium 215 of the sociology department at 7pm.
Dulifera is looking forward to new comrades-in-arms and would like to network even more with other university collectives in order to exchange ideas and plan joint actions for 23 March 2024: https://dulifera.wordpress.com/
