Sexual Education in Higher Education Report: The Indo-Pacific

The primary objective of this report is to understand how experiences of sexual harassment in higher education settings are understood, addressed and responded to in 28 focus countries across the Indo-Pacific: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam. These countries were selected because they are all United Nations (UN) member states situated in the Indo-Pacific region, as defined by the UN Economic and Social Council, and they had national level data available.

The report summarises findings on the state of government and institutional legislation, policies and special procedures relevant to sexual harassment in higher education settings across these 28 countries, informed by a desk review of relevant literature and policy documents. It also presents a discussion on the practical implementation of these policies (with a focus on both sexual harassment and assault), drawing on interviews with ten stakeholders working in six higher education institutions in the Indo-Pacific.

Of the 28 countries included in the review, only three were found to have evidence of national policies specifically addressing sexual harassment in higher education institutions (Australia, Indonesia, Philippines), and four had special procedures in addressing sexual harassment in higher education institutions (Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines). Indonesia and the Philippines have legislation that guides sexual harassment policies and responses specifically in higher education institutions. Australian universities have been operating under the Universities Australia’s (peak body) Charter on Sexual Harm (2023) and the Primary Prevention of Sexual Harm in the University Sector Good Practice Guide (2023), but in 2024, further changes were made through the National Action Plan Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education (2024). Sixteen of the 28 countries have national legislation that criminalises sexual harassment (six only criminalise this in the workplace), which offers some protection for students and staff, but it does not necessarily address the prevention of this form of sexual violence. Overall, the majority of countries had an institutional policy which in some way addressed or defined sexual harassment and assault (21 of the 28 countries), but the depth and extent to which these policies capture all forms of sexually harassing behaviours and appropriately respond to them, varies greatly among institutions.

The effective implementation of institutional policies and processes relating to sexual harassment varied across countries and institutions with a range of implementation failures identified in the reporting and investigation processes, in supporting victim-survivors and in general sexual consent education training. The absence of information on how to report sexual harms was also a common finding. While some institutions were identified by participants as leading the way in their development of effective programs, processes and reporting procedures, there remains much to be learnt and shared among the Indo-Pacific to improve the prevention of, and responses to, sexual harassment in higher education settings.