Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SEXUAL CONSENT WORKSHOPS could soon be mandatory for all year groups at University College Dublin (UCD) following allegations of revenge porn targeting female students.
The UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) said it is seeking funding to ensure the classes can be taken by all students from the beginning of the next academic year.
Mandatory workshop plans are the latest development in the union’s year-long consent campaign aimed at addressing the issue of sexual assault among students.
UCD confirmed last week that it was investigating claims that a group of male students shared explicit images of female students they had slept with on social media.
It followed reports that as many as 200 students have been active in a private Facebook group chat used to share stories about and rate intimate photos of young women.
A spokesperson for the university said that breaches of its dignity code may result in sanctions up to and including expulsion.
UCDSU condemned the alleged behaviour and asked anyone with evidence to present themselves to gardaí.
Financial support
The union is now calling on university management to fund compulsory consent classes, as well as improve college procedures for reporting of sexual assault.
UCD has recorded only nine incidents of sexual assault since 2010, despite having over 30,000 students.
UCDSU said the university must updates its policies to ensure formal complaints can be made online and quickly addressed.
College management should review the need for a dedicated support service for survivors of sexual violence as a matter of priority, it said.
“We’re not going to pass the buck. We will change ‘lad’ culture in UCD as promised following our election to office,” the union said in a statement.
Earlier this month, student representatives at Trinity College Dublin approved plans to introduce mandatory consent workshops at university-run accommodation for new undergraduates.
Consent classes are also available to first-year students at NUI Galway and IT Tralee.
According to research published by the Union of Students in Ireland last week, one in twelve female students have been victims of rape.
The survey found that 16% of students in Irish colleges have had an unwanted sexual experience in their current educational institution.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I am sure that it was Erskine Childers snr and not his son, president Childers that was the author of riddle of the sands. He was also part of the delegation that negotiated the Anglo Irish agreement following the war of independence.
That’s what I thought too when I first read that.
It was actually Erskine Childers’ father who was executed in 1922, that wrote The Riddle of the Sands. Great article tho Sinead and god knows Darby O Gill was the ultimate in paddywhackery !!
It was Erskine Childer’s father who was the writer.
Hillery’s golf handicap sums up his presidency
It’s well known that De Valera,as Taoiseach, went to the German embassy and offered condolences to the Nazis on the death of Adolf Hitler.
I never knew that President Douglas Hyde did the same thing.
Ireland’s best kept dirty secret?
Not a ‘dirty secret’ – as a neutral country, Hyde was acting appropriately as Head of State rather than expressing a personal view
Research fail…
What a horrible Americanism If you are american I forgive you
@fitszpatrick
How is “X fail” an Americanism? I has thought it was more of an Internetism. Fail is the opposite of win and both can be used as nouns.
In other news, what horrible capitalisation and lack of punctuation. If you are under the age of ten, I forgive you.
Like ur fail is the opposite of succeed and lose is the opposite of win. Enough already Eva. If you are woman I forgive you
No mention of the “small joke” which JFK cracked in the Dáil and which so annoyed Dev. What was it?
Hi Pete,
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Best,
Sinead
It is also ironic that Erskine Childers was executed by the Free State government for possession of a pistol that was a gift from Michael Collins.
Where’s the explanation of the caption under the picture?
Brutal work.
Hi
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Sinead
Nothing wrong with Darby O’Gills and the Little People.
It’s a fine Cork pub.
“One of the last presidential acts of Douglas Hyde was to visit the German ambassador Eduard Hempel on May 3, 1945. During the visit, which remained a secret until 2005, he reportedly offered his condolences on the death of Adolf Hitler.”
It did not ‘remain a secret until 2005′. It was widely known and circulated at the time and afterwards. It was common knowlege when I was growing up, learning history at secondary school and subsequently at third level. In case you’re wondering I’m no six year old.
Anyone got video of Mary Robinson on the Den? looks like it was in The Best Bits of the Den DVD
Noth
have your say