Speak Out

Speak Out : https://unigalway.speakout.ie/

Speak Out is an online anonymous reporting tool available to all students and staff to disclose incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, hate crime, coercive behaviour / control, stalking, assault, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape.

The information you provide using this tool is valuable as the data collated will help inform initiatives aimed at addressing bullying, harassment and ending sexual violence and harassment at the University of Galway. It is important to remember that as the Speak Out reporting tool is completely anonymous, there is no way of identifying or contacting any member of the university community who uses the tool. 

A comprehensive list of internal and external supports can also be found on the Speak Out page by clicking here: Supports. 

National Speak Out Report 2024

Universities and colleges across Ireland have teamed up to release national data from anonymous reports of abuse and harassment by staff and students from 2022-2024. The data shows that bullying and harassment were the most common abuses reported to Speak Out, an anonymous online reporting tool introduced at 17 higher education institutions (HEIs) in a bid to enhance safety for students and staff.  See details of the Speak Out National Report 2024 findings.

Reported by TCD "Universities and colleges across Ireland have teamed up to release national data from anonymous reports of abuse and harassment by staff and students from 2022-2024. The data shows that bullying and harassment were the most common abuses reported to Speak Out, an anonymous online reporting tool introduced at 17 higher education institutions (HEIs) in a bid to enhance safety for students and staff.  

Funded by the Higher Education Authority, Speak Out’s dataset will be used to inform future responses to abuse and harassment in higher education, and to encourage formal reporting. 

While 1,011 staff and students made anonymous reports over this period, only 12% of students made a formal complaint to their university or college about the abuse while only 4% of students made a complaint to An Garda Síochána.   

Speak Out, whose national office is based at Trinity, allows people to disclose their experiences anonymously of bullying, harassment, assault and sexual violence – and avail of signposting to support services. It is one of a range of reporting options available in HEIs.  

The report, based on data from the 16 HEIs that implemented this tool from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2024, should not be read as reflecting the true prevalence of these behaviours. The number of reports made through Speak Out is expected to rise as the service becomes more established. HEIs exist within the wider cultural and societal context, and as such many of the issues reported are reflective of the broader experiences of those living within Ireland. 

Key findings included:    

• 1,011 individuals made anonymous reports through the Speak Out tool. Of these, 636 were students and 303 were staff. 784 reported on their own behalf and 227 on behalf of someone else. 
• The most common behaviours experienced were bullying (382 reports) and harassment (340). 
• Sexual violence and sexual harassment accounted for 25% of behaviours disclosed by students. Students made 55 reports of rape, 106 reports of sexual assault and 108 reports of sexual harassment.
• Students disclosed significantly higher levels of purely physical abuse (17%) while 4% of staff disclosures involved purely physical abuse. 
• 20% of staff and 12% of students made a formal complaint to their HEI about the abuse.
• 4% of students made a formal complaint to An Garda Síochána about the abuse. 
• Common reasons for not reporting the incident to the HEI include a fear that nothing would be done or lack of proof that the behaviour took place.    
• Common reasons for not reporting to the Gardaí included a sense that the behaviour was not serious enough, or again, that proof was lacking.  "