Two sexual harassment cases involving college teachers and their students were reported in the media before the results of the joint college entrance examination were announced. Both cases involved a male teacher allegedly sexually assaulting or raping a female student.
We cannot help but worry about the safety of students on campuses. We also wonder if the reporting system and handling process for sexual harassment cases have been appropriately implemented or are being properly supervised.
Since the National Taiwan Normal University sexual harassment case five years ago, many instances of teachers raping their students have come to light. These cases have revealed the excessive emphasis our education system places on obedience. This is why few victims are willing to expose the crimes of their teachers, let alone take their cases to court.
Those who do complain to school authorities usually find it difficult to obtain assistance from their schools during the what often turns out to be a protracted investigation.
Many students have been discriminated against by irresponsible school authorities, who regard them as unwelcome troublemakers.
Meanwhile, protected by the aura of professional knowledge and authority, teachers suspected of harassing their students have frequently escaped punishment due to the reluctance of school authorities to either address the problem of harrassment or embarrass colleagues.
As a result, most cases are dismissed after the victims back out and transfer to other schools. Other times, the teachers perpetrating the crimes leave their schools without receiving any punishment and take up new positions elsewhere.
"Out of sight, out of mind" has become the typical way that schools handle sexual harassment cases.
Such passiveness in dealing with sexual harassment on campus has not only lead to disappointment with our education system, but also caused concern that more students may fall victim to those who have escaped punishment.
If our education system passes onto students the concept of evading responsibility, our youth will have no examples to learn from and no standards to follow. To rectify this, I suggest that, first, the schools take sexual harassment seriously and set up investigation teams to act upon case reports.
To ensure an impartial investigation, half of the members of the team should be professionals who do not serve at that school where the alleged offense occurred. Deadlines should also be set for the release of the investigation results, and the records and reports of the investigation preserved.
During investigation, the teacher(s) involved should be suspended in order to protect the victims. They should not be allowed to transfer to another school without taking any responsibility.
At present, many schools shirk responsibility by simply letting the students and teachers involved disappear from the campus. The common practice is to force the alleged perpetrator to transfer to another institution, while providing few resources to help the investigation -- which usually results in the student either voluntarily transferring somewhere else or withdrawing their complaint.
Getting rid of troublemakers by shifting them other schools creates the false impression that the problem has been solved. But the problems still exist -- just at another location.
Second, the education authorities should establish a reporting system to circulate information about teachers suspected of sexual harassing their students. Schools should no longer dismiss harassment cases by asking the suspected perpetrator to leave.
Once a complaint is filed, the school should inform government education departments about the alleged perpetrator. If a suspect resigns or transfers during the investigation, the education ministry should keep track of that person in order to protect students at other schools.
Third, administrative and criminal punishment should be carried out separately, since schools usually use their connections as an excuse to evade their responsibilities.
If the accused teacher is a civil servant, regulations require that administrative penalties must be based on criminal penalties. Most administrative penalties for sexual harassment have turned out to be very disappointing. The legal process for a sexual harassment case can drag on for several years. Therefore, school authorities usually use the absence of criminal penalties as a pretext to delay the imposition of administrative penalties. As a result, many suspects keep their jobs.
Fourth, instead of blaming the victims, schools should provide counseling services to help students recover from their trauma.
After reporting their cases to their schools, students frequently are left unprotected -- facing intimidation and threats from their violators, as well as an education system reluctant to address harassment issues and a society that still stigmatizes assault victims.
This is why many students are so reluctant to come forward and put the perpetrators under the spotlight. Schools should help these students overcome their terrible experiences and support them as they try to restore their lives.
Yao Shu-wen is the vice chief executive of the Modern Women's Foundation.
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