Sexual safety - training and prevention
What can I do?
- Read more about Sexual Safety at UM
Prevention activities
We want to give everyone at the university the opportunity to get involved with the programme. That's why Maastricht University is offering a range of different resources and events around sexual health.
For example, we will be offering workshops and training events. This is because both increasing awareness and improving skills are key elements of creating a better and more sexually healthy environment. In our training sessions, we work on different skills related to sexual violence. These include things like being an active bystander, peer-to-peer disclosure, and setting boundaries. You can find out what training is currently on offer here.
You also have the option of getting involved in the programme more directly. Take a look here to find out about the different groups you can join.
We are continuously working on the information on this page; if you have any comments or suggestions, please contact us at sexualsafetyum@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Peer-to-peer disclosure
If you are planning to talk to someone who has had a traumatic sexual experience, it can be helpful to know how to approach the conversation. An experience of sexual violence may be a sensitive topic, so it’s important to be careful how you talk about it.
That doesn't mean you should be afraid to talk about the issue at all. It's great that you are willing to offer a sympathetic ear. You can use the guidance below to help you handle delicate conversations like these.
1. Wait before reacting or passing judgement
When someone else is telling you about their experience, it’s not always easy to imagine yourself in the same situation. Sometimes, you may react to that discomfort by trying to respond a bit too quickly. For example, people often want to sympathise with the speaker, and will say things like,
“I know the feeling – something like that happened to me in the pub the other day.”
Listeners may also jump to conclusions about what happens, or have an opinion about it.
Victims/survivors often experience feelings of shame, guilt, and blame when it comes to both the experience and themselves. This can make it hard to talk about the incident. By not reacting too quickly, you can ensure that the person feels listened to and is able to be vulnerable with you. Not saying anything is also a way of (silently) encouraging your conversation partner to continue.
2. Tell them it's not their fault
Victims/survivors often experience feelings of shame after their experience and may have a sense that what happened is their own fault. There are various different reasons people might feel guilty or ashamed. Regardless of what these are, it is important to tell victims/survivors that they are not to blame for the situation.
3. Pay attention and ask open-ended questions
Active listening can be difficult. In trying to show we are paying attention, we can sometimes stumble into behaviours that make the other person feel like we aren’t hearing them. These behaviours can include offering advice too quickly, finishing someone’s sentences, or trying to fill in gaps in meaning or information. One way of avoiding this is to ask open-ended questions. These questions can be about the incident itself, but also about what the other person needs and how you can help.
4. Respect the victim’s wishes
We often want the best for the people around us. Ideally, we would like to make everything better right away. But it may be the case that a victim doesn't want to share everything or receive practical help right away. Victims will appreciate having their wishes respected and choices supported.
10 #MeToo Conversation etiquette hints
Guidelines on how should you react when somebody shares with you that that person is a victim of sexual violence.
Training
The aim of our training events is to provide people with an opportunity to gain more practical and theoretical knowledge about various sexual health topics in a comfortable setting. You can find our upcoming training dates below.
Our various classes and workshops are regularly updated and periodically rotated. If there are no spaces left on the training you are interested in, just keep an eye on this webpage.
● Consent
● EAAA
● TBA
Taking part in prevention activities
If you are a student and would like to get more actively involved, you can! There are a number of different initiatives you can contribute to and provide input for.
Student panel
The student panel meets regularly to give feedback and input on the Sexual Safety Programme. Every two weeks, the panel gets to work on the new items on the agenda. Some of their specific tasks include proofreading and contributing new ideas for the programme. The panel was also responsible for the programme flyer and logo.
Interested in helping out? Get in touch with sexualsafetyum@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information or to sign up.
Sexual safety
If you prefer, you can help while staying anonymous. Submit your feedback and ideas anonymously via sexual safety.
Focus groups for the Green Dot Program
The Green Dot Program is an initiative originating in the US that aims to promote active bystander behaviour in universities. We want to introduce the Green Dot Program at Maastricht University as well. But we’ll need ideas and feedback in order to adapt the programme to our university – which we intend to gather using (anonymous) focus groups. Focus groups will start in autumn.
Disability support
Sexuality is a central part of the human experience. Everyone has their own relationship with sex and sexuality. If you have any kind of disability, you may encounter barriers and experiences not faced by people without disabilities. As such, it is both important and validating to find support that is right for you.
Whether or not you are part of the disabled community, it is worth finding reliable information on this topic. That’s because people with disabilities can be faced with harmful stereotypes, for example that they are “asexual” or “not interested in sex and relationships”. These stereotypes can get in the way of the community being (realistically) represented and make it difficult to find resources with accurate and helpful information.
Not only can learning and sharing accurate information help you better understand yourself and others, but it can also help to break down these misconceptions. Take a look at our list of resources below:
Already Doing It (book)
In the book Already Doing It: Intellectual Disability and Sexual Agency, Michael Gill investigates the way the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities (in the US) is regulated and controlled. By doing so, Gill aims to expose the systemic ableism around sexuality and tackle the resulting consequences.
Let’s talk about sex (resource list)
The website Let’s talk about sex – which is actually aimed at occupational therapists – provides a resource list with a range of recommendations for and about people with disabilities. The list includes books, articles and podcasts, and covers various different groups, such as autistic people and people with physical disabilities.
Got any sources you’d like to recommend? Let us know! Email your suggestions to sexualsafetyum@maastrichtuniversity.nl
LGBTQI+
If you are a member of the LGBTQI+ community who has been affected by sexual violence, you may prefer to get support from people or organisations associated with the community. For that reason, we want to provide a bit more information related to SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity). We’ve compiled a list of helpful resources below.
Men as well
Men as well is a Dutch organisation that campaigns against sexual violence against men as well as trans and non-binary people in the Netherlands. If you need help, you can message them or use their webchat. They also offer a free online workshop for newcomers to the community.
UM Pride
Maastricht University has its own LGBTQI+ community for you to join. Its aim is to promote diversity within the university. If you’d like to become a member and get involved, take a look here.
Transvisie
Transvisie is a foundation that provides support to anyone with questions about their gender identity, as well as their families, loved ones, and others in their environment. There are a number of different ways they do this. For example, they host groups that enable people to meet others in the community, maintain an information bank, and employ experts in gender-affirming care. These experts are available to provide assistance on matters such as reimbursement for healthcare procedures. Take a look at their website for more information.
Iedereen is anders
The website Iedereen is anders provides all kinds of information about sexual orientations and preferences. Whether you’re still in the closet or already out, you can find out more about this aspect of our identity here. On top of providing an information bank, the website can also direct you to resources and assistance related to LGBTQI+ issues.
Trans safer sex guide
This PDF resource is a guide offering answers to questions about safer sex for transgender and gender expansive people, as well as their (sexual) partners. The guide doesn’t just talk about the physical act of sex itself, but also goes into sexual safety more broadly – for example with information on dating and boundaries.
The sex you want
This website by the Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance offers information and practical advice on having safe sex as a gay man, particularly as it pertains to HIV and AIDS.
If you want to find out more about gender and gender identity (SOGI), , take a look here:
● The genderbread person
● https://www.itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2018/10/the-genderbread-person-v4/
Recommended reading, viewing, and listening
We have a range of recommendations in Dutch and English. If you speak both languages, check both pages!
Books
● I Never Called It Rape, Robin Warshaw
This book gives good background information on sexual violence, particularly on acquaintance and date rape. Although published in 1988, the information remains very relevant.
● Fix the System, Not the Women, Laura Bates
Depicts the systematic gender inequality and sexual injustices pervasive in our institutions.
● Enough: The Violence Against Women and How to End It
Reveals how badly women are treated in our society, making a strong argument for why we need to change how policing and justice work. Importantly, it also provides a plan for making that change happen.
● Why Feminism Is Good for Men, Jens van Tricht, Liz Waters (Translator)
A book that discusses gender equality specifically showing how men can contribute to a better world, and what they stand to gain from doing so.
● Queering sexual violence – Jennifer Patterson
● Works by Esther Perel
Podcasts
●The Sexual Violence Research Podcast
● A sexual violence prevention podcast
● Research on the go – episode preventing sexual assault together, sexual citizens, and more
● https://now-and-men.captivate.fm/episode/emancipator/
● Sex, love, corona podcast#episode1
Watch
● Comedian Daniel Sloss – Show X
● Ted Talks such as ‘ have you ever met a monster?’, ‘ violence against women – it’s a men’s issue’, and ‘the widespread effects of sexual assault’
● Comedy show X by Daniel Sloss
● Victim/Suspect (Netflix)
● Flow
● I didn’t marry a monster
Tools
● Wheel of consent
Betty Martin: https://www.schoolofconsent.org/free
It includes videos, game instructions, and various texts about the wheel.
● Sexual Scripts
The following links are to the original pieces of literature on sexual script theory by Gagnon and Simon:
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/bf01542219
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:QUAS.0000005053.99846.e5
Here are some Youtube videos with good explanations of the theory
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kspuRckOE-k
(sexual anthropological perspective)
• https://youtu.be/Kqt-_ILgv5c?t=455
(sociological perspective)
● Research tip: sexual autonomy
● Research:
Bad Girls Say No
and Good Girls Say Yes: Sexual Subjectivity and Participation in Undesired Sex During Heterosexual College Hookups - Heather Hensman Kettrey
Instagram pages
● sharethenote, safe_bae, ourbodies.ourvoic, cheerupluv, letstalkabtconsent, ourstreetsnow
Depicts experience of victims of sexual assault, provides advice on communication, highlights political events and covers topics like intersectionality and consent. Find more instagram pages that destigmatise sexual assault here.
Aims to ‘rethink masculinities’ and challenge social norms regarding men and masculinity.
Websites
• https://everydaysexism.com/
A site that catalogue instances of sexism experienced on a day to day basis.
• https://www.oulgbtq.org/identity-resources.html
• https://sex-matters.org/resources/sex-and-gender-faqs/
Websites that provide information on LGBTQ+ identities and terminologies.
• https://www.queeringthemap.com/
A community-based online collaborative and counter-mapping platform where you can read about (or submit) personal queer experiences.
• https://www.emancipator.nl/en/mens-emancipation/
Organisation that works on men’s emancipation: changing societal norms for men and masculinity. Their website includes informative resources as well as an overview of their projects.
• https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/what-to-do-if-you-see-sexual-violence/
• https://righttobe.org/guides/bystander-intervention-training/
Websites that provide tips on hat you can do to help tackle sexual violence as a bystander.
• The Survivor’s Guide to Help seeking
• https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/supporting-a-survivor/
• https://centrumseksueelgeweld.nl/iemand-steunen/
Websites that provide guidance on how you can help victims of sexual assault.
- https://www.sace.ca/learn/rejection-resilience/
Short articles on a lot of different topics.
- Read: Truth Project Experiences Shared victims and survivors speak out
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The Sexual Safety Programme has made the online version of the "Are you okay?" lecture available to all Maastricht University (UM) students. It aims to promote sexual safety and sexual well-being.
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Government Commissioner Mariette Hamer, responsible for addressing issues related to sexual misconduct and sexual violence, participated in a discussion with students and staff at Maastricht University on Friday, 15 September. Joining her were Executive Board President Rianne Letschert and Joyce...
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At last week's INKOM, attention was paid to the social safety of students, especially the sexual aspect of dealing with each other. This attention is important so that people are able to talk about the topic and victims/survivors can get the support they need.
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09 Nov09:30 - 15:00
Master’s Open Day
We hope to welcome you on campus at our next Master's Open Day and give you a good impression of what studying at Maastricht University is all about.