Act Locally, Think Globally: New Perspectives on Creating Cultures of Sexual Respect on Campus

Date: January 12, 2017 (Thursday)

Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Venue: Alumni Reading Room, room 901, 9/F Cheng Yu Tung Tower, HKU

Speaker: Professor Diane Rosenfeld, Lecturer on Law & Director, Gender Violence Program, Harvard Law School

This public lecture is co-hosted by the HKU Vice-Chancellor’s Office in support of HKU’s commitment to the HeforShe initiative, the Centre for Comparative and Public Law of our Faculty, the Women’s Studies Research Centre at HKU and our Centre.

About the Lecture:

Gender-based violence occurs all over the world in various forms with different prevalence rates. This lecture explores the particular problem of sexual harassment and violence on campus.  The commission of campus sexual misconduct has striking similarities in both the Hong Kong and the US, where it has been the focus of extensive public attention over the past few years.

Schools can play a significant role in creating cultures of sexual respect on campus.  Student activism, strengthened though social media networks, can bring pressure on schools to improve their prevention and response initiatives. Based upon insights drawn from a decade of teaching and innovative legal policy work with students, schools and the government, Professor Rosenfeld will offer strong recommendations for forging a path forward.

About the Speaker:

Diane L. Rosenfeld, J.D., LL.M., is a Lecturer on Law and the founding Director of the Gender Violence Program at Harvard Law School where she teaches courses on Title IX, Gender Violence, Law and Social Justice, and Theories of Sexual Coercion. She is a leading national expert on the development and implementation of best practices for eradicating sexual assault and has advised both the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the White House Task Force on Protecting Students from Sexual Assault.  Ms. Rosenfeld is featured in two recent documentaries on campus sexual assault: The Hunting Ground and It Happened Here.

A frequent public speaker, Ms. Rosenfeld has appeared in national and local media. She was recently awarded a “Woman of Inspiration Award” by Ms.JD, and an award for Teaching Excellence at Harvard Law School for Intersectionality in Feminist Legal Theory.

Presentation materials available here