After a public outcry over perceived inaction by the Taichung City Government, a tribunal on Friday dismissed a former school principal surnamed Huang and deprived him of his pension due to allegations that he sexually assaulted a student 25 years ago.

The victim, identified as "Mrs A," filed a complaint in April accusing Huang of sexually assaulting her 25 years ago. The Humanistic Education Foundation said there were at least two other victims at the same school.

The Taichung Education Bureau’s Gender Equity Committee convened the tribunal meeting on Friday and agreed to dismiss Huang from his job as a school teacher and deprive him of his pension.

"I want to thank everyone who has supported me. We have won this first battle, but we still have a long way to go, as the perpetrator has the right to appeal, and later, the case will go to court," Mrs A said in a statement released through the foundation.

"We must all focus on the upcoming process to ensure that justice is served. You paying attention to this case will help other victims who could not speak out, and have no resources for a legal battle," she said.

Mrs A’s initial complaint in April received no response, so she held a news conference on Aug. 17 with city councilors and women’s rights advocates, and another on Aug. 30, foundation executives said.

Mrs A said Huang abused his power as her teacher 25 years ago when she was at junior-high school in Taichung and pressured her into sex.

"It went on for four years, when I was a student at the school. He would threaten me not to tell anyone," she said.

Former students who were in the same class as Mrs A signed a petition on Friday, asking Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung to investigate.

They said they believed Huang had sexually assaulted several students, and questioned whether the bureau had contravened the law by delaying the case.

[Taipei Times, 2022-9-6]