The University of Bath has issued the following statement in light of the launch of a new initiative by UK Government Ministers and campaigners to end the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) within universities to silence complainants in sexual harassment cases.
Students and staff have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. We need an environment where people feel able to raise these issues, feeling safe and supported to do so. The use of non-disclosure agreements to prevent people reporting misconduct such as sexual harassment or bullying is not conducive to creating a positive, supportive culture at the University.
We believe that it is wrong to silence people who raise complaints regarding all forms of harassment. While confidentiality clauses, and non-disclosure agreements have their place, we are committed to not using them to silence people who have faced harassment and are very supportive of this pledge. We look forward to more detailed policy and procedure guidance from Universities UK to ensure that we can fully implement this pledge in these often complex and sensitive cases.