Mar Joanpere: 'He threatened us with a knife, and they called us hysterical at the university"

Mar Joanpere is a Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Reus) professor and co-creator of the MeToo Universidad movement. She is also a regular contributor to the Omertá series. She was once a victim of sexual harassment by a master’s student and has also suffered from isolating gender-based violence. Without the support she received, it would not have been easy to become the successful survivor she is today. She actively collaborates in supporting victims and survivors through her practice and work as a teacher and researcher.

In your case, what kind of harassment did you experience?

A classmate sexually harassed me in the master’s program in sociology during the 2013-2014 academic year. Going to Barcelona and starting new studies there was my dream. And it was quickly shattered because of a harassing student and a system that not only tolerated his harassment but also blamed us, the victims. Three of us were harassed for months. It was constant intimidation—he always appeared when you least expected it, in the bathroom, hallway, library, and metro. He drew pictures of intimate body parts, and the worst part was that he threatened us with a knife. The harassment was blatant in front of teachers and everyone. No one can say they didn’t notice and didn’t act.

How did the university respond?

The university itself, from the master’s coordination to the equality committee, reacted by treating us as exaggerators, saying we were blowing things out of proportion and that it wasn’t that serious. Yet, while telling us this, they would meet with the harasser and security personnel at the door to protect themselves. Not only did the university try to dissuade us from filing a complaint, but some classmates also ridiculed us. One classmate, who worked in equality policies, sent us an email, copying the entire class and blaming us for the situation. It was a nightmare.

Did you receive any support? Which would you highlight?

Yes, without it, I wouldn’t have finished my master’s studies at that university, and I probably wouldn’t be a doctor or a sociology professor today. I will never forget the day Professor Ramón Flecha entered the class. Before starting, he told us that there were cases of harassment and gender-based violence at the university and that there were mechanisms to report and address it, like the equality committees.

“Without directing anything at anyone in particular, and without being specific, he offered his support and help if anyone ever needed it. It was like receiving a lifeline in the middle of the ocean (referring to Ramón Flecha).”

His support from the very beginning was crucial for us. He and Marta Soler, professors in the master’s program who have been severely attacked for protecting victims for years, gave us all the support in the world. Thanks to them, we met Ana Vidu, the first person to report harassment at the university, who at that time was creating the MeToo Universidad movement with other victims. Their support empowered us to such an extent that we overcame all the barriers of the university and the environment and won the case, making it the first successful case of peer harassment at the university.

One of the impacts of the “MeToo en la Universidad” report published in El Periódico has been the joint declaration by the Department of Universities and the Department of Feminisms and Equality to improve existing protocols. How do you evaluate this declaration?

I view any step taken to improve and establish mechanisms to eradicate silence, omertà, and harassment in universities as positive. However, in light of my case and others I’m aware of, it’s essential to remember that the mechanisms are already in place—there are protocols, equality committees, etc. However, we should focus more on the “who” rather than the “what.” Who is currently occupying these equality committees? Why? What we have seen and experienced is that we will never overcome this problem if those on these committees are not 1) people with internationally recognized scientific expertise on the subject and 2) people with a proven track record of supporting and defending victims of gender-based violence and isolating gender-based violence in universities.

“As long as people who care more about the harassers, the university’s image, or who even perpetrate isolating gender-based violence against those who support victims continue to be part of these equality committees, we will not solve the problem.

And lastly, what is your dream?

I dream that no one, anywhere, ever doubts or gives up their studies because of a harasser and a system that covers it up. Everyone is free to study what they want without barriers, and no one anywhere ever suffers any harm for protecting victims. I dream of transforming the solidarity I have received into spaces of freedom.