Illustration: Madelen Lindgren
Discrimination and harassment
Here you can find information about rules and guidelines regarding discrimination and harassment. There is also information about where to turn if you or someone close to you experiences discrimination or harassment.
KMH work against all forms of discrimination or harassment of both students and employees. Insulting treatment should not occur and KMH must therefore act as soon as someone becomes aware that someone is being harassed. KMH should be a creative and stimulating environment where all employees and students have the same rights and should be treated in a non-discriminatory and non-offensive manner. This applies to both written and oral communication.
What is harassment and bullying
Abusive treatment is a collective term for several different types of actions. They can be directed in an offensive manner at one or more people and can lead to ill health for the person affected or to them being placed outside the work/study community.
Examples of abusive treatment include:
- Slander or spreading rumors
- Withholding information
- Insults, mockery or unfriendly treatment
- Threats, humiliation or harassment
- Making work more difficult
- Exclusion
Harassment is conduct that violates someone's dignity and is related to one of the seven grounds of discrimination:
- gender
- transgender identity or expression
- ethnicity
- religion or other belief
- disability
- sexual orientation
- age
Sexual harassment is conduct of a sexual nature that violates someone's dignity. It can include comments and words, groping or inappropriate glances. It can also include unwelcome compliments, invitations and innuendos.
Who decides whether something is offensive or not?
It is the person who is subjected to the action who determines whether the behavior is offensive and unwelcome. Therefore, there does not need to be an intention to offend for a certain behavior to be perceived as offensive. Anyone who feels victimized has the right to speak out, but it is far from being possible in all situations for the victim to feel that this is possible.
If you have been subjected to harassment or abusive treatment
- Tell someone you trust what happened.
- Write down the time and place, what was said, what happened and how you felt.
- These notes are valuable in a possible investigation.
- Inform an employee at your academy as soon as possible: a teacher, director of studies or director of the academy, or contact student health, the student union or the study counselor. It is important that you get help as soon as possible.
How to report
You make your report verbally, via email or letter to the head of the department for educational and research support, see contact details at the bottom of the page. It is a good idea to note the time and place of what happened, what was said and how you felt as a personal aid to your memory in the event of an investigation.
This happens when you report
- You report the matter to the Student Administration Department via email, letter or verbally.
- The matter is recorded.
- The head of the Student Administration Department appoints an officer who will speak with everyone involved and gather facts. The investigation must be carried out promptly.
The Academic Affairs Department speaks individually with all those involved. The documentation should include both the victim's and the accused's perspectives and experiences. In consultation with the Vice-Chancellor, an assessment of the case is made and any further measures that should be taken. This will be fed back to you.
The Academic Affairs Department takes notes and then summarizes the case, which is recorded in the register. The case is confidential and must be treated with care. KMH can declare the case confidential, but it is not KMH that ultimately decides whether a case can be released to the person who requests it. If someone demands the documents, it is the Court of Appeal that decides whether confidentiality applies.
Prohibition of retaliation
Anyone who has reported or participates in an investigation regarding any form of harassment may not, according to the Discrimination Act, be punished or in any way subjected to negative measures (retaliation).
The Royal Academy of Music is obliged to investigate
When any employee becomes aware that a student feels they are being subjected to abusive discrimination, harassment or sexual harassment in connection with their studies, we will investigate the circumstances. We are also obliged to take measures to prevent further violations, if necessary.
Actions
If a student harasses another student or employee, the student may receive a warning or be suspended from their studies. The measures taken depend on the individual case. The suspension may be limited to access to certain premises. A decision to suspend shall be limited in time to a maximum of six months. Disciplinary matters are handled by the KMH Disciplinary Board.
A decision to suspend means that the student may not participate in teaching, exams or other activities within the framework of the education at KMH for a total of no more than six months. The decision to suspend also means that granted study funds will not be paid out during the period of suspension.
Sexual harassment is punishable when it involves sexual harassment and sexual exploitation (Chapter 6 of the Swedish Criminal Code). The harassed person can also file a report directly to the police.
Follow-up with risk assessment
When the case is closed, a risk assessment should be made by the university, if necessary, to prevent future violations as much as possible. It is also of utmost importance for KMH that a follow-up is done to ensure that the harassment/violations have ceased.
The follow-up is done by the study administrative department having follow-up conversations with those involved and by the manager/academic director/teacher (who is not a party to the conflict) being extra attentive to the work or study climate.
Preventive work
When the manager/academic director and employees/students respect each other and create good communication, a good will to solve problems and dare to reconsider old routines, the risk of offensive discrimination and harassment occurring is reduced. Every meeting should be characterized by mutual openness and a willingness to cooperate, which thus contributes to a culture of trust.
Roles
- The rector has overall responsibility.
- The head/academic director is responsible for the work/study environment, including the social work environment. They organize and plan the work so that harassment and offensive discrimination are prevented as far as possible.
- Employees/students have a responsibility to contribute to a good work/study climate and to be involved in problem-solving efforts. They must contribute by, among other things, discovering and eliminating any risks in work/study to prevent ill health.
Further preventive measures
- Implement a good introduction during students' intro week and when hiring new staff
- Let KMH's core values be a living document
- Continue work on equality
- Work with active measures to prevent and prevent discrimination
- Promote equal treatment in collaboration meetings, etc.