Male students accused of filming female students using hidden smartphones in a school bathroom were kept in the same classes and swimming team as their victims for more than six months after the incident was reported, the mother of a female junior-high school student said yesterday, accusing the school of trying to downplay the scandal.
The mother of a junior-high school student in Taipei and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said at a news conference yesterday that at least two male students used their cellphones with cameras in the shower rooms and allegedly filmed their female swimming teammates when they changed.
The unattended cellphones were found while they were recording and other recordings of the same nature were found on the phones, the mother said.
The alleged perpetrators were in the same class and swimming team as the students filmed. The continued interaction led one female student to seek psychiatric treatment for extreme anxiety, the mother said.
“After the incident came to light, one of the offenders was even promoted to captain of the swim team, making team interactions more frequent,” she said.
According to documents provided by the school’s gender equality education committee, it did intervene and launched an investigation at an early stage, but action to protect students was slow and superficial, the mother said.
While the alleged perpetrators were six months later kicked off of the swimming team and transferred to other classes, the school nevertheless ignored the Department of Education directive that the alleged offenders be transferred to another school, the mother said, adding that the accused students are representing the school in a municipal swimming competition this weekend.
Several audio recordings were played at the news conference, in which school teachers were heard calling for team harmony and discouraging “emotional fluctuations,” telling students that some on the swimming team could not understand why the students were continuing to pursue punishment for the accused, and that “the coach was under great pressure.”
“Are medals more important than students’ mental health?” Huang said.
Ministry of Education officials said they would continue to oversee the case and provide proper counseling for the students.
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