How?

How Institutions Handle Harassment Cases/Hur hanterar institutioner fall av trakasserier?

Ever wondered how KTH addresses cases of harassment/discrimination? Stay tuned as we uncover the processes and decisions made behind closed doors.

Public Case: VP-2019-0213: a university leader versus a female student

In this case, we look into how KTH handled a reported case of discrimination. This is one of the rare cases where discrimination was “found” and therefore can probably give us one of the best cases for the university’s handling of harassment and discrimination in general.

The case

On 22nd March 2019, a complaint regarding sexual harassment was lodged with the institution. The investigation was conducted from 22nd March to 19th September 2019.

The investigators assessed the reported incidents of sexual harassment and concluded that sexual harassment had indeed occurred. However, they also noted that after investigation concluded that no measures to be implemented.

"Med bakgrund av att utredaren i sin bedömning kommit fram till att sexuella trakasserier har skett, men att åtgärder redan genomförts under utredningens gång fattas beslut om inga vidare åtgärder. Beslutet kommuniceras till berörda parter och ärendet avslutas."

Translation: "Based on the investigator's assessment that sexual harassment had occurred, but that measures had already been implemented during the course of the investigation, it was decided that no further actions would be taken. The decision was communicated to the concerned parties, and the case was closed."

Note:

Despite the findings, the individual found to have committed harassment continues to hold a leadership position within the university. This happens while KTH has been found in violation of equality processes and maintains a policy of zero tolerance towards discrimination. The victim is a female student holding a high representational role in the student union, and the accused individual has been holding a high leadership position under the university rector. The person continues to serve in the position to this day.

Stay tuned as we continue to reveal more about institutional behaviours regarding harassment and discrimination in our series taken from public cases …