Statement
Public
In recent days, various media outlets have published the news of a Chilean researcher formally charged regarding his participation in events that could constitute a sexual crime against a female scientist, which occurred during an expedition to the Antarctic continent in 2019.
As the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities, we trust that the Chilean criminal procedure system will take the appropriate actions to determine the occurrence of the events and the corresponding responsibilities.
The CRUCH and the universities that comprise it have worked tirelessly to eradicate all types of violence against women, both in the private and public spheres, especially in educational spaces and in the exercise of all their work.
For several years, the CRUCH universities have promoted concrete actions in this direction and, more recently, have achieved significant progress with the implementation of Law 21.369 (2021) and Law 21.643 (2024), which are framed within the ratification by the State of Chile of the Belém do Pará Convention (1998), the “Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” (2020), as well as the “Convention on Violence and Harassment” of the International Labour Organization (2019).
In this context, CRUCH reaffirms its commitment to strengthening policies and protocols to prevent and address any type of violence within our communities, especially gender-based violence, promoting the construction of safe and inclusive academic spaces through awareness and education of students, teachers and administrative staff.
Therefore, we urgently call upon all university communities and society at large to collaborate in eradicating gender violence in all its forms, while continuing to move towards incorporating a gender perspective in higher education, which will create a culture where respect for the dignity of all people prevails.
Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities
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