The Council of Rectors reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating gender violence after the formal charges were brought against a Chilean researcher.

“We trust that the Chilean criminal justice system will take the appropriate actions to determine the occurrence of the events and the corresponding responsibilities,” the Council stated.

The CRUCH expressed its commitment to “strengthening policies and protocols to prevent and address any type of violence” and noted the importance of “continuing to advance in incorporating the gender approach into higher education.”.

Through a public statement issued this Monday, August 12, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) expressed its position regarding the case of the Chilean researcher formally charged with acts that could constitute a sexual crime against a female scientist, which occurred during an expedition to the Antarctic continent in 2019.

Regarding the formalization announced a few weeks ago, the text states that "we trust that the Chilean criminal procedure system will carry out the pertinent actions to determine the occurrence of the events and the corresponding responsibilities.".

Furthermore, the declaration makes an “urgent call” to all university communities and society in general to collaborate in eradicating gender violence in all its forms, while affirming that both the CRUCH and the universities that comprise it reaffirm their commitment “to strengthening policies and protocols to prevent and address any type of violence within our communities, especially gender violence.”.

Along the same lines, CRUCH mentions that it will continue “promoting the construction of safe and inclusive academic spaces, through awareness and education of students, teachers and administrative staff.”.

On the other hand, it is highlighted that “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).

The CRUCH concludes by referring to the importance of continuing to advance in the incorporation of the gender approach in higher education, "which will allow the creation of a culture where respect for the dignity of all people prevails.".

Check the Full Public Statement HERE