Ignorance too costly

Tertiary level students are not aware of what kind of conduct constitutes sexual harassment, and this is one of the reasons why incidence of sexual harassment takes place in higher educational institutions and often remains under-reported.

Most male students are in the dark about a High Court ruling that defined certain kinds of conduct as sexual harassment, a teacher of the sexual harassment complaint committee of a private university told The Daily Star.

"Even the female students do not know which incidents they should report and how," she said, wishing anonymity.

The teacher said the committee had received about four complaints in the last two and half years: three against students and one against a teacher.

"Incidence of harassment mostly takes place at the undergraduate level and none so far has been reported from the graduate level," she added.

Following the High Court ruling in 2009, the University Grants Commission directed all universities to form independent sexual harassment complaint committees (SHCC) to protect students from sexual harassment.

However, talking to our Rajshahi University correspondent, a number of students from different disciplines of the university said they did not know how SHCC functioned to prevent sexual harassment on campus.

Learning about the committee from the correspondent, a student named Tanmoy said: "I witnessed an incident of sexual harassment just a week ago where a male student was teasing a female student, using sexually abusive language."

"I will report the incident to the committee on behalf of the girl," he added.

Having been sexually harassed by a teacher about two years ago, a student of sociology department, who would not disclose her identity, had complained to her department chair, instead of taking the matter to SHCC.

She said her teacher had been trying to make advances to her for quite a long time.

"When I refused his proposal, he threatened to hamper my academic career. I was compelled to refrain from taking part in my second year final examinations as a result of his frequent advances. At last I sent a written complaint to the department chair, seeking security of my academic life," she said.

The department asked the teacher to keep himself away from the class to which she belonged and a couple of months later he himself left the university.

Several teachers, wishing not to be named, said the university authorities should take effective steps to create awareness among teachers, officials and students about the activities of SHCC.

Mahbuba Kaniz Keya, president of SHCC at RU, said: "We have requested the university syndicate to spread words about the committee's activities but we have not seen any progress yet."

The committee has provided a sexual harassment prevention guideline to all the departments to make the teachers and students aware, she added.

Keya opined that though many incidents occurred only a few reached the committee because female students shied away from reporting these in a male dominated social context, fearing further harassment.

The RU authorities sacked three teachers and an instructor following an investigative report submitted by the committee after it was formed in June 2011.

However, Prof Rasheda Akhter, convener of Jahangir University's SHCC, said many complaints reached the university proctor who in turn referred them to the committee.

In the last four years, the committee received nine complaints four of which took place this year: three against students and one against a teacher, she said.

"Except for one of the cases which remained pending because the complainant went abroad, we have completed investigation into the rest and actions were taken accordingly," she said.

Akhter however differed with committee members of other universities on the issue of lack of awareness.

"At JU, students are given a booklet at the orientation which details the HC rule regarding sexually inappropriate behaviour and what they should do in the event of any harassment," she said.

Nowshin Nahar, psycho-social counsellor of Eastern University, said they had not yet provided students with booklets on sexual harassment though a number of workshops and posters are put up on the campus to create awareness among students.

"In most cases, female students are afraid to take their complaint to the committee fearing social rejection and rebukes from their own family," Nahar said.

A fourth-year political science student of RU, who too wished to remain unnamed, said the tendency to shun away from complaining was caused by family pressure.

She said she was approached by an influential student leader about a month ago.

'When I refused, he slapped me several times. At one point I fell to the ground. He left the place when two of my female friends rushed to the spot," she said, adding that he later threatened her over the phone with dire consequences if she disclosed the matter.

Dissuaded by her friends from complaining to the university authorities, she had called his parent.

Instead of consoling his daughter, her father too told her not to disclose the matter.

"I was shocked when my mother blamed the way I dress for this incident. She rather suggested I always wear veil on campus. A day later, she came to Rajshahi and bought me a veil. From then on I wear veil on campus," she said.

Sexual Harassment as defined in the Guidelines declared by the High Court

a. Unwelcome sexually determined behaviour (whether directly or by implication) as physical contact and advances;

b. Attempts or efforts to establish physical relation having sexual implication by abuse of administrative, authoritative or professional powers;

c. Sexually coloured verbal representation;

d. Demand or request for sexual favours;

e. Showing pornography;

f. Sexually coloured remark or gesture;

g. Indecent gesture, teasing through abusive language, stalking, joking having sexual implication.

h. Insult through letters, telephone calls, cell phone calls, SMS, pottering, notice, cartoon, writing on bench, chair, table, notice boards, walls of office, factory, classroom, washroom having sexual implication.

i. Taking still or video photographs for the purpose of blackmailing and character assassination;

j. Preventing participation in sports, cultural, organisational and academic activities on the ground of sex and/or for the purpose of sexual harassment;

k. Making love proposal and exerting pressure or posing threats in case of refusal to love proposal;

l. Attempt to establish sexual relation by intimidation, deception or false assurance.