Some former students who allegedly became victims of sexual ab their former teachers came together this Wednesday to promote the safety of young people inside the school.
In a press briefing near the Commission on Human Rights office, the campaign was launched by the group “Enough Is Enough” or EIE, which includes advocates of gender equality and victims of alleged sexual abuse at Bacoor National High School or BNHS. , Philippine High School for the Arts or PHSA, and Far Eastern University Senior High School.
They want the government to protect the rights of students within the school.
Sophia Beatriz Reyes, lead convenor of EIE, said it is important for the Department of Education and other government agencies to precise precise mechanism for students who are victims of sexual abuse and how campus predators can be held accountable.
“Kahit pumutok sa balita ang resurfacing ng mga kaso ng abuse of harassment sa iba’t ibang paaralan, hindi maitatanggi ang resistance mula sa administration, mula sa authorities, mula sa iba’t ibang paaralan,” said Reyes.
“Kadalasan, hindi pa rin talaga tapat na hinaharap ang mga problema na nire-raise ng kanilang estudyante… So bottom line, hindi pa rin tayo protektado. Hindi pa rin empowered. So ‘yung problema ay sa mismong sistema. Nasa sa mismong polisiya. Mas centered sa pagprotekta ng authorities kaysa sa estudyante.”
Campaign against campus predators launched
According to Patricia Racca, acting gender committee head of Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan or SPARK and a member of EIE, social media is now the only place for victim-survivors to run because school administrators are not ready to address the children’s complaints.
The group called on DepEd and educational institutions to change their current policy on those who want to complain of sexual abuse. They said they should favor the victims more and not the complained teachers.
According to EIE and SPARK, since the complaints of sexual abuse by some students surfaced in the media, they have received complaints from more than 11 schools here in Metro Manila, Pampanga, and Agusan del Norte.
Most complaints are from Junior and Senior High School students in public schools. Two complaints from private Catholic schools and one from the National Science High School.
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