Students to be offered consent training by domestic abuse charity

Students will be offered consent training by a Jewish charity that supports victims of sexual abuse, following allegations involving an all-male Jewish fraternity.

Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) has teamed up with University Jewish Chaplaincy and the Union of Jewish Students to run workshops in campuses across the UK, in the wake of multiple sexual assault, harassment and rape  allegations levelled against Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at the University of St Andrews. 

The workshops mark an expansion of the charity’s established Safer Dating programme, which was set up in 2016. 

JWA CEO Naomi Dickson said: “What has come to light at St Andrews is sadly not a surprise, as an organisation that supports women and girls every day.

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“The sessions we are already offering receive very positive feedback and allow young Jewish men and women to take time to think about the critical issues of consent and healthy relationships.”

She said the partnership, which is backed by the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council,  hopes to “increase the reach of this programming and jointly develop new opportunities to engage with Jewish students on these issues.”

University Jewish Chaplaincy’s CEO, Sophie Dunoff, said: ““Our rabbis and rebbetzen have been trained by JWA to ensure they can help support and signpost students on campus effectively.”

UJS president James Harris said it was “absolutely vital” to support Jewish students with experiences of abuse” but that it was best to give them the tools and foresight to protect themselves in the first place.