▲ Contributed by HYU-HRC

On May 24, Hanyang University Human Rights Center (HYU-HRC) hosted the ‘#MeToo and #WithYou’ symposium. The symposium, held at the Seminar Room located on the second floor of the Hanyang University Museum, ran for a total of three hours and a half. Its aim was to report the current state of the #MeToo campaign at the university. The symposium was organized to focus on the increasing rate of problems related to sexual assault within the campus and to find better solutions for them, by symposium panelists sharing their perspective about the #MeToo campaign and the spread of #WithYou alongside it.

The symposium consisted of three sessions with the first two respectively titled ‘University #MeToo Campaign’s Current State’ and ‘Institutional Improvement to Solve #MeToo Problems on Campus.’ After the opening speeches and a congratulatory message were made, each session commenced with brief presentations, followed by discussions related to the topic of each session.

According to HYU-HRC’s representative, the #MeToo campaign is currently spreading in the society at large, and accusations of sexual harassment within the campus occupy a high percentage at the center. HYU-HRC added that the main problem of the remaining #MeToo campaign is secondary victimization complainants suffer from and their dissatisfaction with the defendant’s punishment. To overcome these problems, strict regulations against secondary victimization and education for perpetrators should be effectively enforced.

The ultimate purpose of this symposium is to seek better solutions for sexual harassment on campus. The symposium hoped to be helpful and informative in the long run by protecting past and emerging victims and preventing secondary victimization.