About 40 elementary, junior-high, senior-high and vocational school teachers are fired each year for sexually assaulting or harassing students, the Ministry of Education said on Monday.
Last year, there were 83 cases of suspected sexual assault by teachers and 588 cases of sexual harassment, ministry data showed.
The number of cases of teachers sexually assaulting students has risen eightfold from a decade ago, while there has been 16 times the number of sexual harassment cases, the statistics showed.
The power dynamic between teachers and students is unbalanced, K-12 Education Administration Division of Student Affairs and Campus Security head Lin Liang-ching (林良慶) said.
Even if a student expresses affection toward a teacher, teachers need to draw the line, he said.
“Wolf teachers are wolf teachers,” Lin said, using the Chinese-language term for teachers who have committed sexual offenses against students.
“There is no such thing as a student-teacher romance,” he added.
Faculty and staff are required to report suspected cases of sexual assault, harassment or bullying on campus to the school’s administration and local authorities within 24 hours, Lin said, adding that they must report such cases in accordance with the Assault Crime Prevention Act (性侵害犯罪防治法), the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) and the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法).
The Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法), the Regulations on the Prevention of Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying on Campus (校園性侵害性騷擾或性霸凌防治準則) and other regulations also stipulate how such cases should be handled, Lin said.
Before hiring faculty, schools are required by the Gender Equity Education Act to check whether they have a criminal record for sexual assault, he said.
Under draft regulations for reporting staff deemed “unsuitable for employment,” which have been made available for public review until May 20, schools would also be required to check whether a prospective employee has a history of sexual assault, harassment or bullying, Lin said, adding that existing employees would also be subject to routine checks.
Schools are also required by law to educate teachers and staff about preventing sexual assault, harassment and bullying on campus, he said.
An initial response of many parents of victims of sexual assault by teachers is to ask whether their child did anything that might have caused the teacher to misunderstand, Humanistic Education Foundation executive director Joanna Feng (馮喬蘭) said.
For the victims, such questions can make them feel betrayed by their parents, she said, adding that the combination of these elements can push students toward attempting suicide.
Children should be taught that no one is allowed to violate their bodies, she added.
Last month marked the second anniversary of the death of author Lin Yi-han (林奕含), who committed suicide weeks after the release of her debut novel, Fang Ssu-chi’s First Love Paradise (房思琪的初戀樂園), in which the 13-year-old protagonist is raped by her teacher.
Following Lin Yi-han’s death, her parents said that they believe her mental illness and suicide were caused by a sexual assault when she was a student.
The suicide last year of a 17-year-old victim of sexual abuse by a teacher has also raised public awareness of the issue.
The National Parent Education Volunteer Association yesterday said in a statement that it was “heartbroken” that another student has become a victim.
The organization urged the Legislative Yuan to pass draft amendments to the Teachers’ Act (教師法) to more effectively handle “unsuitable” teachers.
[Taipei Times, 2019-05-08]
