King’s College London has been awarded a grant from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) to support its It Stops Here campaign.

It Stops Here is a collaborative campaign by King’s College London and KCLSU to challenge sexual harassment and build an environment where everyone feels welcome, supported and safe regardless of who they are.

The grants, from HEFCE’s Catalyst Fund, were issued to support universities to implement recommendations made in a report by Universities UK Harassment Task Force. The report called for institutions to respond to sexual harassment more effectively and provide safe and secure campuses.

In September 2015, King’s launched the It Stops Here campaign and working group to address sexual harassment. The campaign seeks to raise awareness, provide support for survivors and equip staff and students to challenge sexual harassment whenever they see it.

Professor Edward Byrne AC, President and Principal of King’s College London said: ‘We aspire to be a community in which everybody feels acknowledged and respected for who they are, and can feel confident that harassment, discrimination and bullying, wherever these occur, will not be tolerated.  We all undertake not to stand by if we see others engaging in sexual harassment and to be proactive in promoting a respectful culture. We will work together with the Students’ Union to make this aspiration an everyday reality.’

The Catalyst Fund will support the campaign in its next phase, launching an online consent course for students and continuing to improve reporting and support for staff and students.