Humanistic Education Foundation officials on Friday called on the government to dismiss teachers found to have sexually harassed students, citing a case in which an accused teacher only received a six-month suspension and could return to their job.
Foundation members were joined by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun at a news conference in Taipei, calling for laws to be updated so that sexual offenders are appropriately disciplined and banned from teaching.
Foundation executive director Joanna Feng said that evidence and testimony from victims indicated that a junior-high school teacher in Yilan County had enticed students into a romantic relationship with them.
"Starting in 2019, this teacher lured students into a relationship, using suggestive language and sexual harassment behavior," Feng said.
The teacher allegedly asked a female student to have dinner with them, offered the student rides, accompanied her to places, talked to her on the telephone daily and held her hand while walking together, Feng said.
One student said that she had refused gifts from the teacher on Valentine’s Day, but they still placed chocolates into her pencil case, and allegedly told her: "Your eyes are very big and beautiful," Feng said.
The teacher also allegedly told her: "I really like you," and "I am living inside your heart," among other things, Feng added.
An investigation by the school’s gender-equality committee determined that the teacher had sexually harassed the student, but other teachers, local councilors and education officials tried to protect the offender and interfered in the investigation, and pressured the school to give the teacher a lenient punishment, Feng said.
"In the end, despite the teacher having for several years committed serious violations against several student victims, the committee only issued a six-month suspension," Feng said. "This means that the teacher can return to the school and continue to teach, resulting in more sexual harassment and harm to students."
Fan said that the laws need updating to permanently ban sexual offenders from teaching jobs.
Education authorities must investigate any teacher alleged to have sexually harassed or had improper romantic relations with a student, and the Ministry of Education must revise investigation procedures to hear from the victims, as currently only the offender is allowed to attend hearings to offer a defense, she said.
Lawmakers should address the shortcoming in procedures for dealing with teachers accused of sexual misconduct by amending the Teachers' Act and the Regulations on the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment or Sexual Bullying on Campus, she said.
[Taipei Times, 2022-6-26]
