By Hiranyada Dewasiri
Victims of sexual harassment often face myriad problems when making formal complaints. These vulnerabilities are heightened when children become victims in the school setting where they may hold less power than their harassers.
The Morning spoke to Prof. Arosha S. Adikaram from the Department of Human Resource Management of the Faculty of Management and Finance at the University of Colombo (UoC), who specialises in workplace harassment and gender issues, regarding the ways in which sexual harassment takes place in schools and what steps should be made available to respond to them.
The following are excerpts of the interview.
[caption id="attachment_116172" align="alignright" width="443"]
"But we do need to promote interaction between the two genders. When this interaction is lacking, students are very unaware as to what the other gender is about, which can lead to sexual harassment and other types of gender-based harassment" UoC Faculty of Management and Finance Department of Human Resource Management Prof. Arosha S. Adikaram[/caption]
What are the specific problems around sexual harassment that may take place in a school, especially where a child is the victim?
Unlike an adult being sexually harassed, a student would be more vulnerable; less aware of what is happening. So, the vulnerability and the lack of power should be taken into consideration when we talk about a student being harassed. Students may not just be harassed in school. It could also be an educational institute that is not a school. And the harasser may not necessarily be a teacher – they could be cleaners, external sports coaches, security personnel, or even other students. There are people who voluntarily come to help in schools with the intention of harassing a student. Sexual harassment could also be instigated by any gender towards any gender.
While children should be made aware of the ways that they can be harassed, many parents find that discussions and raising awareness about sex and relationships to be inappropriate. Attempts made by school teachers to talk about sexuality, how to be careful, and the ways that children can be exposed to sexual harassment, face objections from parents on grounds that such discussions are inappropriate. Just because we don’t speak about it openly, it does not mean that children will not come across instances of sexual conduct in their lives. So, it is always good to make them aware of the dangers and prepare them for any situation. These cultural restrictions need to be overcome. Incidents of teachers being harassed by other teachers are also very common in schools, as such incidents have been reported.
Do you think that the way that we look at romantic relationships among underage children, which is taboo in most cases, has an impact on sexual harassment of children, especially in a school context?
I don’t know if that has an impact. It is a separate topic of sexuality which also needs to be handled sensitively. I don’t believe that the schooling age is the age to have a relationship. You wouldn’t be mature enough to handle a relationship at that age and that can completely ruin a student’s life. Then, the parents and teachers are responsible for the way that they handle it. These adults should not make a big scene, as we have seen that such mishandling has even led to suicides. Such relationships might also lead to sexual harassment. We do see examples of cyber sexual harassment that takes place following romantic relationships among young children.
But we do need to promote interaction between the two genders. When this interaction is lacking, students are very unaware as to what the other gender is about, which can lead to sexual harassment and other types of gender-based harassment. We have been taught to adhere to our gender role expectations so much that when you are in a girls’ school, you are not even allowed to look at a boy. That itself is an issue. This leaves an impact on when we move into society – I have experienced this personally. When we interact with the other gender, we are so uncomfortable, because we have not been accustomed to that interaction. That interaction and the understanding of the other party are essential.
Would labelling a student as “promiscuous” make them more prone to harassment?
At schools, and at workplaces, I suppose there is a sense of these labels leading to people justifying being harassed. These are to do with the gender role expectations that are ingrained by society and, we this is internalised. So when you are harassed, one would then think that it is their fault. They would think they get harassed because they were not properly dressed, because they were too friendly. That's what their friends, parents, and teachers tell these students. Even the person who harassed them would say the same thing. A small child would not have internalised these ideas so much, but when it comes to an adolescent, this internalisation could be very much present. Boys would have their own internalised gender role stereotypes where they believe that if a girl is too forward, they would conclude that “they are asking for it”, which would then lead to them being harassed. Whilst I do not disagree that they should be appropriately dressed and behave, not doing so is not an excuse for a person to be harassed. Using this as reasoning would make the person who was the victim of the harassment feel guilty for being harassed.
Sometimes, language that is used by teachers to advise students might make a student feel uncomfortable in a sexual manner. Would this be considered harassment?
These lines that separate sexual harassment from advice are blurred. If a comment or a look makes a person uncomfortable, if it is sexual in nature, if it makes someone embarrassed, then it is sexual harassment. There is a certain way that you can give advice. The words used and how they are used matter. For instance, the teacher could be a father figure who wants to advise; however, keeping in mind that there are father figures that are not so fatherly. Some teachers have a genuine concern. But a female student for instance would be more comfortable if this male teacher discusses this with a female teacher and delivers the advice through that female teacher.
There are also lots of private tuition classes where the teachers gain popularity through the use of words with twisted meanings, what we call “double meaning”. The boys would be laughing out loud and the girls would also be laughing, but they might be feeling embarrassed inside and may be laughing as a coping mechanism; nothing is done about it. This comes back to respectability. Teaching can be done without getting sexuality involved. Yet, teachers do it for various reasons – their personal satisfaction or the fact that it draws more students in. Teachers have to be careful with what they say.
In Sri Lanka, we look at schools as sacred and hallowed institutions. Do you think the way that we treat schools leads to sexual harassment, or whatever seems “inappropriate”, being swept under the carpet?
This is not just a thing about schools. I will have to connect everything back to our culture. Lots of these things are swept under the carpet regardless of whether it is in a school or workplace. Sometimes they don’t go to the extent of thinking about the image. It’s just that these issues are not talked about in the open. All of the discussions take place as gossip and whispers, but no formal discussion takes place when something happens. The very reason that sexual harassment happens in our culture is because we don’t have a culture of talking about it in the open. If people get to know that this behaviour is not condoned in their respective institutions, they will think before engaging in such behaviour. They might be thinking about the image of the school when such things happen, but even if that is not the case, they still wouldn’t want to talk about it. Then the issue with regards to parents is that parents are not willing to take action because procedures to take action are not victim-friendly. They fear the possible repercussions for the child. It is the victim that ultimately suffers. A Care International study done some years back revealed that perpetrators of sexual harassment have been served their sentences and been released, and they had got married and moved on with their lives whilst the victim remains shunned from society unable to move on from their experience or get married.
Do you think schools are equipped to deal with sexual harassment as institutions that have power hierarchies and involve children?
We need to have avenues to report and avenues to talk in place. I don’t think there are such avenues in place at schools. Maybe these issues are identified by an experienced teacher to whom the students will also talk. If the teacher is equipped with the knowledge to handle it, the teacher will direct the student to an avenue. There are some organisations that have a clearly laid out sexual harassment tackling procedure. There will be a way to complain and then it will be taken up with the relevant parties, followed by investigations.
Schools do not have such policies or procedures in place. Some schools have counsellors, which is a start. But the counsellor should also then have the ability to take the issue forward. If the counsellor does not have the power to take it to the principal, and if the principal is not receptive and wants to hush the parties involved, that would not work. Grievances regarding sexual harassment in schools may be taken to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) or the Ministry of Education, but their involvement, i.e. the steps that the authority has to take, should also be clarified. Every single teacher needs to be given training on what harassment is, how a child could be sexually harassed, and how children can be helped. Then, the process should also be victim-friendly. The student should not be required to describe their experience repeatedly to a number of parties. The importance of confidentiality and anonymity should be taught to teachers and all relevant parties. Students should also be given the relevant training. We have legislature to respond to sexual harassment, but issues in implementing and the suppression of discussion due to cultural beliefs do not allow us to respond to sexual harassment the way we should. Society accepts the person who commits the crime because they sympathise with their families. But such a person poses a risk to their very families and should be dealt with in an appropriate manner.
Do you think the available legal provisions are sufficient to combat sexual harassment in educational institutes?
There are legal provisions in place to take this issue to courts, but very few are willing to do that. This is why policies and procedures need to be present at the institutional level – the Ministry of Education. There should be ways to take formal action or informal action or to talk to a counsellor. The University of Colombo has a specific and comprehensive sexual harassment policy and the UGC (University Grants Commission) has established gender cells in every university. Good policies inside institutions help in combating sexual harassment. If the policy is very cumbersome and long with many steps, people might not use it much. According to research, only 15% of such victims would make a formal complaint either to the company or a relevant party. The success of such institutional policies and action would also depend on the authorities of the institutions. So they also need to be made aware, and an effective policy needs to be in place. Schools should have individual policies with regard to how to handle issues of harassment, and the Ministry of Education should definitely have such a policy in place.
"But we do need to promote interaction between the two genders. When this interaction is lacking, students are very unaware as to what the other gender is about, which can lead to sexual harassment and other types of gender-based harassment" UoC Faculty of Management and Finance Department of Human Resource Management Prof. Arosha S. Adikaram[/caption]
What are the specific problems around sexual harassment that may take place in a school, especially where a child is the victim?
Unlike an adult being sexually harassed, a student would be more vulnerable; less aware of what is happening. So, the vulnerability and the lack of power should be taken into consideration when we talk about a student being harassed. Students may not just be harassed in school. It could also be an educational institute that is not a school. And the harasser may not necessarily be a teacher – they could be cleaners, external sports coaches, security personnel, or even other students. There are people who voluntarily come to help in schools with the intention of harassing a student. Sexual harassment could also be instigated by any gender towards any gender.
While children should be made aware of the ways that they can be harassed, many parents find that discussions and raising awareness about sex and relationships to be inappropriate. Attempts made by school teachers to talk about sexuality, how to be careful, and the ways that children can be exposed to sexual harassment, face objections from parents on grounds that such discussions are inappropriate. Just because we don’t speak about it openly, it does not mean that children will not come across instances of sexual conduct in their lives. So, it is always good to make them aware of the dangers and prepare them for any situation. These cultural restrictions need to be overcome. Incidents of teachers being harassed by other teachers are also very common in schools, as such incidents have been reported.
Do you think that the way that we look at romantic relationships among underage children, which is taboo in most cases, has an impact on sexual harassment of children, especially in a school context?
I don’t know if that has an impact. It is a separate topic of sexuality which also needs to be handled sensitively. I don’t believe that the schooling age is the age to have a relationship. You wouldn’t be mature enough to handle a relationship at that age and that can completely ruin a student’s life. Then, the parents and teachers are responsible for the way that they handle it. These adults should not make a big scene, as we have seen that such mishandling has even led to suicides. Such relationships might also lead to sexual harassment. We do see examples of cyber sexual harassment that takes place following romantic relationships among young children.
But we do need to promote interaction between the two genders. When this interaction is lacking, students are very unaware as to what the other gender is about, which can lead to sexual harassment and other types of gender-based harassment. We have been taught to adhere to our gender role expectations so much that when you are in a girls’ school, you are not even allowed to look at a boy. That itself is an issue. This leaves an impact on when we move into society – I have experienced this personally. When we interact with the other gender, we are so uncomfortable, because we have not been accustomed to that interaction. That interaction and the understanding of the other party are essential.
Would labelling a student as “promiscuous” make them more prone to harassment?
At schools, and at workplaces, I suppose there is a sense of these labels leading to people justifying being harassed. These are to do with the gender role expectations that are ingrained by society and, we this is internalised. So when you are harassed, one would then think that it is their fault. They would think they get harassed because they were not properly dressed, because they were too friendly. That's what their friends, parents, and teachers tell these students. Even the person who harassed them would say the same thing. A small child would not have internalised these ideas so much, but when it comes to an adolescent, this internalisation could be very much present. Boys would have their own internalised gender role stereotypes where they believe that if a girl is too forward, they would conclude that “they are asking for it”, which would then lead to them being harassed. Whilst I do not disagree that they should be appropriately dressed and behave, not doing so is not an excuse for a person to be harassed. Using this as reasoning would make the person who was the victim of the harassment feel guilty for being harassed.
Sometimes, language that is used by teachers to advise students might make a student feel uncomfortable in a sexual manner. Would this be considered harassment?
These lines that separate sexual harassment from advice are blurred. If a comment or a look makes a person uncomfortable, if it is sexual in nature, if it makes someone embarrassed, then it is sexual harassment. There is a certain way that you can give advice. The words used and how they are used matter. For instance, the teacher could be a father figure who wants to advise; however, keeping in mind that there are father figures that are not so fatherly. Some teachers have a genuine concern. But a female student for instance would be more comfortable if this male teacher discusses this with a female teacher and delivers the advice through that female teacher.
There are also lots of private tuition classes where the teachers gain popularity through the use of words with twisted meanings, what we call “double meaning”. The boys would be laughing out loud and the girls would also be laughing, but they might be feeling embarrassed inside and may be laughing as a coping mechanism; nothing is done about it. This comes back to respectability. Teaching can be done without getting sexuality involved. Yet, teachers do it for various reasons – their personal satisfaction or the fact that it draws more students in. Teachers have to be careful with what they say.
In Sri Lanka, we look at schools as sacred and hallowed institutions. Do you think the way that we treat schools leads to sexual harassment, or whatever seems “inappropriate”, being swept under the carpet?
This is not just a thing about schools. I will have to connect everything back to our culture. Lots of these things are swept under the carpet regardless of whether it is in a school or workplace. Sometimes they don’t go to the extent of thinking about the image. It’s just that these issues are not talked about in the open. All of the discussions take place as gossip and whispers, but no formal discussion takes place when something happens. The very reason that sexual harassment happens in our culture is because we don’t have a culture of talking about it in the open. If people get to know that this behaviour is not condoned in their respective institutions, they will think before engaging in such behaviour. They might be thinking about the image of the school when such things happen, but even if that is not the case, they still wouldn’t want to talk about it. Then the issue with regards to parents is that parents are not willing to take action because procedures to take action are not victim-friendly. They fear the possible repercussions for the child. It is the victim that ultimately suffers. A Care International study done some years back revealed that perpetrators of sexual harassment have been served their sentences and been released, and they had got married and moved on with their lives whilst the victim remains shunned from society unable to move on from their experience or get married.
Do you think schools are equipped to deal with sexual harassment as institutions that have power hierarchies and involve children?
We need to have avenues to report and avenues to talk in place. I don’t think there are such avenues in place at schools. Maybe these issues are identified by an experienced teacher to whom the students will also talk. If the teacher is equipped with the knowledge to handle it, the teacher will direct the student to an avenue. There are some organisations that have a clearly laid out sexual harassment tackling procedure. There will be a way to complain and then it will be taken up with the relevant parties, followed by investigations.
Schools do not have such policies or procedures in place. Some schools have counsellors, which is a start. But the counsellor should also then have the ability to take the issue forward. If the counsellor does not have the power to take it to the principal, and if the principal is not receptive and wants to hush the parties involved, that would not work. Grievances regarding sexual harassment in schools may be taken to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) or the Ministry of Education, but their involvement, i.e. the steps that the authority has to take, should also be clarified. Every single teacher needs to be given training on what harassment is, how a child could be sexually harassed, and how children can be helped. Then, the process should also be victim-friendly. The student should not be required to describe their experience repeatedly to a number of parties. The importance of confidentiality and anonymity should be taught to teachers and all relevant parties. Students should also be given the relevant training. We have legislature to respond to sexual harassment, but issues in implementing and the suppression of discussion due to cultural beliefs do not allow us to respond to sexual harassment the way we should. Society accepts the person who commits the crime because they sympathise with their families. But such a person poses a risk to their very families and should be dealt with in an appropriate manner.
Do you think the available legal provisions are sufficient to combat sexual harassment in educational institutes?
There are legal provisions in place to take this issue to courts, but very few are willing to do that. This is why policies and procedures need to be present at the institutional level – the Ministry of Education. There should be ways to take formal action or informal action or to talk to a counsellor. The University of Colombo has a specific and comprehensive sexual harassment policy and the UGC (University Grants Commission) has established gender cells in every university. Good policies inside institutions help in combating sexual harassment. If the policy is very cumbersome and long with many steps, people might not use it much. According to research, only 15% of such victims would make a formal complaint either to the company or a relevant party. The success of such institutional policies and action would also depend on the authorities of the institutions. So they also need to be made aware, and an effective policy needs to be in place. Schools should have individual policies with regard to how to handle issues of harassment, and the Ministry of Education should definitely have such a policy in place.