Philippine students demand punishment for campus predators

Students and teachers of a Catholic university in Manila have held a demonstration to protest what they perceive as impunity for alleged sexual predators among faculty members.

The protest came after a student at Ateneo de Manila University posted on social media claiming that a professor accused of sexual harassment was only suspended for 15 days.

“They have continually protected professors who prey on vulnerable students like me, even allowing those who have been convicted of such acts to return to teaching again,” read the post.

The student did not identify the professor. He said he was “scared” because the female professor had reportedly harassed other students and even fellow professors.

“I went through months of stress, having to relive the trauma, reliving the feeling of being unsafe,” the student wrote on his social media account.

“Despite going through all the trouble and waiting for six months, she was only suspended for 15 days, more than 12 times shorter than my wait for the decision.”

Allegations of sexual harassment on campus erupted last year after the university’s student council filed a case against a male professor who allegedly harassed several students.

It also stemmed from a social media post that alleged the professor would invite students to individual consultations in his private bedroom.

The 2018 social media post seemed to encourage other students to come out with their own stories of sexual harassment in the campus.

In a statement released on Oct. 16, the university assured that it has enough measures in place to protect students and employees from sexual harassment.

“The Ateneo de Manila University does not tolerate or condone sexual harassment by any member of its community,” read the statement.

The Jesuit institution also assured that “due process is followed, all parties are heard and justice is served” in cases that are brought to the attention of the university.

The school, however, admitted that “the burden is on the university to gain the trust and confidence of the community.”

“We assure the Ateneo community and the public that we are taking every step possible to ensure that students and employees are safe from sexual harassment,” read the university statement.

“We are committed to improving our systems and working together with all our stakeholders in building a safer and more gender-sensitive Ateneo.”

In a separate statement, Jesuit priest Jose Ramon Villarin, the university’s president, said the university will complete an anti-sexual harassment manual by the end of the year.

He said the manual will include a definition of sexual harassment, imposable sanctions for different types of sexual harassment, grievance procedures and modes of intervention and assistance.