Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin has revealed she hopes her harassment ordeal will lead to some “meaningful changes”.
Back in September, the former Rose of Tralee opened up about being repeatedly harassed by a colleague at UCD during an interview with the Irish Times.
Aoibhinn said Prof Hans-Benjamin Braun began harassing her in 2015, and despite reporting multiple inappropriate incidents to UCD’s HR department, the harassment continued.
After two years, Aoibhinn was left with no other choice but to report Mr Braun to the Gardaí.
1.Sexual harassment in academia is a serious and systemic issue that is too often left unchecked. I spoke with @IrishTimes about my experience of sexual harassment by a colleague @ucddublin
1/n https://t.co/SOryHh47sY— Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (@aoibhinn_ni_s) September 5, 2020
Following an investigation, the 58-year-old was charged with harassment under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.
The court heard the harassment took place between May 9th, 2015, and July 7th, 2017, and issued an order barring the professor from contacting Aoibhinn for five years.
Aoibhinn also made a formal complaint to UCD about the harassment in August 2018, and she’s since received an official apology from the university.
Months after opening up about her ordeal, Aoibhinn told Extra.ie: “I’m happy that I was in a position that I was able to talk about it and I feel like it started an important conversation about the structures and the systems that we have in third-level institutions.”
“I hope that my talking about my experience will lead to some meaningful changes in how these things are dealt with in the future.”
“I was inundated with an awful lot of messages of support but also stories from people who were experiencing similar. I think it’s really important that we talk about these problems in order to find solutions,” she said.
“I know it’s really difficult for some people to relive their experiences but it is very important that we try and rebuild cultures where we can discuss difficult issues and try and make sure that they don’t happen again.”
“So if I have been able to contribute to that I am very happy about that.”
“Simon Harris, working with the National Women’s Council and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, has brought the issue to the fore,” she explained.
“They have obviously been working on this for a long time as well and hopefully, as I said, it will lead to meaningful changes in some of the institutions.”
Since opening up about her harassment ordeal, Aoibhinn has become a new mum-of-two.
The broadcaster and her husband Carlos Diaz welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Daragh, last week.
The couple are also parents to a son named Naoise, who will be two in January.
Speaking about welcoming a new baby during lockdown, Aoibhinn said: “Yes, the same as everyone, we are all dealing with level 5 lockdown in our own ways so I guess it’s just a matter of being patient now for a couple of weeks.”
“But I’m delighted, it’s lovely having my two boys,” she added.
