“There are no concrete numbers, but complaints of moral harassment have increased,” stated Álvaro Borralho, coordinator of the Working Group on Moral Harassment in Higher Education Institutions.
The SNESup leader mentioned that, over the past few years, the union has seen a growing number of professors and researchers seeking legal support due to workplace moral harassment.
“It’s not something that occurs sporadically. Often, it starts with minor pressures and then intensifies over time. In some instances, it leads to disciplinary processes, often repeatedly,” he explained, noting that the majority of complaints are directed against superiors.
Álvaro Borralho highlighted the sluggishness of administrative court proceedings, suggesting a sense of impunity exists, as institutions feel “at ease,” partly due to the “excessive power granted by the Legal Framework for Higher Education Institutions, which should never have been given.”
“Knowing that administrative justice is slow, they continue to pressure colleagues across various higher education institutions,” he lamented.
A report released in December by the Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of Strategies to Prevent Harassment in Higher Education Institutions revealed that while most institutions have adopted codes of conduct and best practices for harassment prevention, few offer specific channels for reporting.
In response, the working group initiated a reporting channel on the SNESup website for cases of moral harassment, which the coordinator noted is more prevalent compared to sexual harassment, despite recent high-profile cases, such as the one involving the Centre for Social Studies (CES) at the University of Coimbra and sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos.
The aim is to make it easier to file complaints, which can be done anonymously, and to provide access to union support. The working group also intends to conduct a study based on the collected data to better understand the situation.
“We don’t intend to replace political power, which is responsible for decision-making. We aim to be a platform for action and knowledge on the issue, and also to exert pressure for legislative changes that impose stricter penalties on those committing certain crimes,” he added.
In addition to the reporting channel, the team, consisting of 13 faculty members from various fields, plans to release a victim advisory manual and launch an awareness campaign.
