CDU wants us all to “Be a Better Human” in anti-violence push

Charles Darwin University has launched Be A Better Human as part of a month-long push to raise awareness on how everyone can help to reduce sexual violence. 

April is Respect Month at CDU with the Be A Better Human launch marking the start of a month of activities and awareness raising at CDU about eliminating gender-based violence.

The campaign is to remind people that everyone has a responsibility to stop sexual violence and harassment.  

The Be a Better Human campaign not only wants people to show respect and empathy, and understand consent, but calls on people to change the culture around sexual violence. 

CDU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Scott Bowman said that the only University based in the Northern Territory needed to be a leader to this issue in the community.

“We need to build a culture at the university, and the wider community, where we say gender-based violence is not okay. Calling it out when it happened is not just the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do,” Professor Bowman said.

“The University is a change agent for issues facing our community and students. It’s only right that we are the driver of change to reduce gender-based violence.”

Part of the Be A Better Human campaign calls on people to be active bystanders, and take action.

According to the last Universities Australia National Student Safety Survey that was published in 2022, CDU students were more likely to seek support than students at other universities around the country.

The report found that 12.4 per cent of CDU students who participated in the survey had experienced sexual harassment since starting university, compared to the national average of 16.1 per cent.

About 10 per cent of CDU students participated in the survey.