Accountability with Teeth

Universities worldwide have had policies to combat sexual harassment since the 1980s. Nonetheless, having policies in place does not mean that universities are held accountable for the safety of their students, nor does it guarantee that perpetrators are held accountable for their deeds. While the politics of power are always at play when discussing sexual harassment, at universities it is more complex due to the hierarchy integral to their structure. This article investigates the trajectory of the Anti-Sexual Harassment and Violence Against Women Unit at Cairo University and explores how effective the implementation of the policy has been in holding the university accountable to victims of sexual harassment. Making use of accountability assessment frameworks, it explores how the university can be held accountable to victims. It focuses specifically on responsiveness, responsibility, and liability to assess the effectiveness of the anti‑sexual harassment policy, and identifies loopholes that need to be addressed.