Intersectionality is already shaping Europe’s fight against gender-based violence in research and higher education. Using evidence from the UniSAFE project, new EU policy frameworks, and the next generation of gender equality plans, Marcela Linkova and Lut Mergaert reveal the impact of intersectional initiatives

Irene Landini is right: research on sexual harassment and gender-based violence in higher education and research must take intersectionality seriously. In fact, in Europe, that turn is already underway. We have a robust evidence base, established in the Horizon 2020 UniSAFE project, and a clear policy basis in the 2021 Ljubljana Declaration, that put intersectionality at the centre of EU policymaking on gender equality in research and innovation. 

The task for Europe is to roll out and scale what works, and to address the remaining gaps. 

What the evidence already shows

UniSAFE conducted a survey of more than 42,000 students and staff across 46 European institutions. The results reveal that 62% of participants have experienced at least one form of gender-based violence since joining their institution. Psychological violence (57%) and sexual harassment (31%) are widespread, with online abuse part of the same continuum.

Reporting, however, is rare: only 13% of those who reported experiencing gender-based violence told their institution. The UniSAFE results show that survivors don't report incidents because they aren’t sure whether behaviour is serious enough to report. Others don't recognise the behaviour as violence at the time, or don't think that anything will happen if they report it.

In a survey of more than 42,000 students and staff across 46 European institutions, 62% had experienced at least one form of gender-based violence

The risks of gender-based violence are not evenly distributed. Prevalence is higher among LGBTQI+ people (68%), non-binary people (74%), those with disabilities or chronic illness (72%), and members of ethnic minority groups (69%). International students and staff face higher risks of economic and sexual violence, too, suggesting that legal status and precarity are also factors.

Recent analyses conducted in the Horizon Europe GenderSAFE project show that institutions tend to fail victims/survivors on multiple fronts. The lines, channels, and procedures for reporting may be unclear. Victims' experiences may be denied, minimised, or invalidated. Alongside other institutional failures, there may also be a general lack of communication.

Where this sits in the European Research Area

The Ljubljana Declaration set the tone by foregrounding intersectionality, and by committing the renewed European Research Area (ERA) to inclusive equality. Action 5 of the ERA Policy Agenda 2022–2024 operationalised that commitment. One task was to develop a strategy to counteract gender-based violence and institute coordinated support for inclusive gender equality plans.

The European Research Area has developed a structural policy that uses an intersectional approach to strengthen gender equality

A concrete outcome is the European Commission’s Zero-tolerance code of conduct. This document offers common definitions and principles for the research and innovation system structured along three pillars: Commitment, Action and Accountability. The GenderSAFE project and ERA Policy Agenda 2025–2027, with its structural policy ‘Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA, notably with an intersectional approach’, offer a pathway forward.

From evidence to implementation

To meet these commitments, institutions must:

• Use the UniSAFE 7Ps framework and toolkit. The toolkit translates evidence into practice across the 7P framework, spanning Policy, Prevalence, Prevention, Protection, Prosecution (and internal discipline), Provision of services, and Partnerships. It offers practical checklists, scripts and protocols.
• Roll out GenderSAFE to scale and standardise. GenderSAFE builds directly on UniSAFE. It operates a Community of Practice, is piloting a Model Policy Framework, and has published a guide to tackle resistances. GenderSAFE also supports taking up the Zero-tolerance code of conduct — including a public pledge for institutions and individuals.
• Reinforce the role of national authorities and research funders. GENDERACTIONplus has provided a zero-tolerance policy template for research funding organisations. It also offers baseline analyses that ministries and funders can embed in compliance regimes. GenderSAFE will monitor national and regional policies to assess how far EU policies align with the code of conduct's values and measures.

Measures underway to tackle multiple marginalisation

Institutions must also address the multiple marginalisation of race/ethnicity, migration/legal status, disability, class, and contract type. These disadvantages are especially relevant for long-term migrants, contract research staff and highly mobile fields — particularly for early-career scholars.

Institutions must address the multiple marginalisation of race/ethnicity, migration/legal status, disability, class, and contract type

Online gender-based violence remains unevenly captured; and disaggregated monitoring is not yet routine. The 2025 WIDERA Work Programme addresses this concern, calling for research into career barriers for marginalised and underrepresented researchers. 

A constructive correction

Europe’s academic and policy debate should put intersectionality at its centre. But we should also recognise — and use — the instruments that already exist. UniSAFE gives us the data and a rich toolkit; the Ljubljana Declaration and ERA Action 5 give us the mandate; the Zero-tolerance code of conduct provides shared principles; and GenderSAFE is helping institutions to make it real. The way forward is to take implementation seriously, and work to ensure our research and policies reflect everyone’s lived realities.