Sexual Harassment Awareness Day 2026

On April 21, 2026, academic institutions throughout Switzerland, including USI, will participate in Sexual Harassment Awareness Day, a national initiative promoted by swissuniversities to raise awareness of sexual harassment in academia. The day is part of a shared commitment to fostering study, research, and work environments based on respect, safety, and inclusion.

The initiative is an opportunity to reaffirm our collective responsibility to prevent and combat inappropriate behavior, as well as to promote an institutional culture that offers a listening ear, support, and concrete tools to the entire university community.

In-depth materials, guides, and useful resources are available on the campaign's official website and can be shared within the academic community to broaden the dissemination of key content and messages.

For the 2026 edition, USI is offering a comprehensive program of initiatives aimed at students and staff.

Planned activities

• Online talk - From Awareness to Action: Together Against Sexual Harassment in Higher Education (en)
  Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m., online.
  The workshop offered by SHAD 2026 partners to all Swiss academic context will be led by Dirk Baier hwhich will provide an input on the empirical evidence on sexual harassment and the underlying ideologies of dominance.
   
• Workshop – Stereotypes, gender bias, and sexual harassment: tools for recognizing and combating them
  Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., Foyer, Sector A, USI–SUPSI East Campus, Lugano-Viganello.

  The workshop, open to academic and administrative staff at USI and SUPSI, is designed to strengthen the skills needed to identify gender stereotypes and prejudices, recognize situations of harassment, and adopt effective prevention strategies at the communicative and organizational levels. The workshop will be led by Danuscia Tschudi, senior researcher at the Center for Competence in Work, Welfare, and Society (DEASS), and Brita Kleindienst, actress and trainer at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri. Please register by 11 April via the following link.

• Information points on USI campuses
  Throughout the day, there will be stands dedicated to raising awareness on the various USI campuses: West Campus Lugano, East Campus USI–SUPSI Lugano-Viganello  Mendrisio, and Bellinzona.
   
• Equality Box
  The Equality Boxes remain active on the main USI campuses as a space for gathering reflections, suggestions, and requests for support on issues related to equal opportunities, gender, and diversity, helping to keep the dialogue open within the community.
   
• IntegriSafe and training opportunities
  The Sexual Harassment Awareness Day initiatives complement the activities promoted for the protection of personal integrity. On IntegriSafe webpage it is possible to find Informative materials and the training opportunities dedicated to the protection of personal integrity, aimed at both staff and students, offered throughout the academic year.