“No means no” was just the beginning — last Thursday at Wits, the School of Arts and Gender Equity Office joined forces to challenge silence, spark dialogue, and rethink consent in a powerful campus event.
- WSOA students reflected on blurred boundaries in movement and performance training.
- GEO outlined intersectional harm and shared tools for survivor support.
- The seminar encouraged open dialogue, aimed to build a safer, conscious campus culture.
“A Conversation on Sexual Harassment” brought together students and staff for an open dialogue on how harassment manifests in the classroom, rehearsal spaces, and beyond. While the GEO presented definitions and data, it was the personal testimonies that brought the discussion to life.
First-year theatre student Jade Scheepers said, “Amongst students, consent is rarely asked, especially in movement classes.” She appreciated how the seminar acknowledged that harassment “hits differently” depending on one’s identity and experience.
The GEO emphasised that gender-based harm includes verbal, non-verbal, and physical misconduct, and it disproportionately impacts students across intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Intern Bhekamndeni Mkhwanzi explained that GEO’s role goes beyond policy: “It’s about building an ecosystem where survivors feel seen, heard, and supported.”
The university collects and tracks all GBH/V-related complaints, analysing trends to inform and improve intervention initiatives. It provides a safe and confidential space with full-time counselling support for complainants and victims, ensuring they receive the care and guidance they need. Complainants and victims are confidentially advised of their available options, and formal complaints against staff or students accused of GBH/V are managed through an independent disciplinary procedure. Additionally, the university actively engages in advocacy efforts to promote gender equality.
First-year theatre student Sharon Nienaber, the session was particularly relevant to arts students, who often navigate blurred lines of physical contact during theatre and performance training. “This wasn’t just an academic talk, it was a reckoning,” she said.
Mkhwanzi says it is working to improve peer counselling, anonymous reporting, and trauma-informed support. As one student put it, the space offered “validation” and a renewed call for safer, more conscious creative spaces,” said Saijal Pather first year theatre student. The seminar provided a clear and comprehensive definition of Gender-based-harm (GBH) as “any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature—verbal, non-verbal, or physical.” It also underscored the significance of intersectionality, highlighting how harassment disproportionately affects individuals whose identities intersect across race, gender, sexuality, disability, and religion.
By the end of the session, the seminar had done more than educate. It had sparked a collective discomfort necessary for change and opened the door to ongoing conversations.
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits School of Arts students in the seminar. Photo: Bontle Malowa
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