Secondary and Higher Education Directorate will send directives to all schools, colleges and relevant departments to stop incidents of sexual abuse and harassment.
To prevent this type of crime, committee of five members will be formed in each institution, according to the directives. Even, teachers have to sign bond of commitment that they ‘won’t be involved with sexual harassment’ activities. Action will be taken in accordance with country’s criminal law if they breach commitment.
The Directorate took this initiative with a view to ensure fair and humane environment in the educational institutions which will be free of sexual abuse to students. The directives will be finalized and published on the website, informed Directorate officials.
From the draft directives, it has been known that each and every institution will form a committee to receive sexual abuse complaints, conduct investigation and provide suggestions. Maximum members of the committee will have to be female and if possible the team leader have to be selected from the same gender. Two member of the committee need to be taken from outside the specified institute, who have the experience of working with gender and sexual harassment related matters.
Besides the committee of the institution, students will have to form a committee of five members. Complaints boxes will have to be set up in each organization.
According to the directives, the victim-side have to submit the complaint to the committee within 30 days of the happening of the crime. The committee will accept the complaint if they consider it justified and won’t reveal the identity of both the complainant and the suspect until the allegation is proved.
The committee will submit the recommendations within 30 days of receiving complaints. However, until the allegation is proved, the suspect have to be suspended temporarily. If it’s a student, then he won’t be eligible to attend classes. If the allegation is considered as crime according to the penal or existing law of the country, then the victim-side can go to the court.
If the victims think they haven’t got justice, they can appeal to the Regional Director (in case of college) and Deputy Director (in case of secondary). The appeal process has to be completed within 15 days. If they didn’t get the expected justice, they can apply directly to the Director General through filling up a specified form.
Secondary and Higher Education Directorate director general Professor Nehal Ahmed told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “As part of our taking various initiatives to prevent sexual abuse and harassment in educational institutions, we’re finalizing directives of security. It will be finalized soon and published on the website of the directorate.
If any student or anyone get victim of sexual harassment, they have to submit complain to the committee without wasting time. We won’t tolerate crime like this in educational institutes. “
@The article appeared on print and online versions of The Bangladesh PRatidin on September 13, 2022 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque
