'Frame anti-sexual harassment policy for educational instts'

Former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon speaks at a roundtable at Cirdap auditorium in the city yesterday. On his right are Prof Nazrul Islam and Abdullah Zafar and on his left are Naima Imam and Moinul Ahsan Saber.Photo: STAR

Educationists and rights activists at a roundtable yesterday stressed the need to immediately formulate anti-sexual harassment policy for all educational institutions.
Due to prevalence of sexual harassment in the educational institutions, many female students lose interest in pursuing education and eventually drop out, they said and called for enacting a law in line with the High Court directives to eradicate the menace.
Urging all to change attitude towards women, the speakers called on guardians, teachers, governing bodies of the educational institutions and the media to raise awareness in this regard.
The Shaptahik 2000, a weekly magazine, and Actionaid jointly organised the roundtable titled 'Role of the policymakers in resisting sexual harassment at all educational institutions' at Cirdap auditorium in the city.
According to a survey conducted by Actionaid, some 16.7 percent of female students were harassed or tortured by their teachers in schools, said Abdullah Zafar, a child and adolescent rights activist, in his keynote paper.
The survey also revealed that around 41 percent of female students do not consider their schools a safe place while 63.6 percent of students said teachers use discourteous language on them, he added.
Although students of the universities are aware of the issue, no effective measures were taken at school and college levels to prevent sexual harassment, Zafar said.
University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam said the situation will not change unless empowerment of women and a favourable socio-economic environment is ensured.
Former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon said the issue should be incorporated into the school curricula.
Faheem Hasan, associate professor of American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), said moral values are eroding day by day. Some female students even consider it a way to achieve better results.
The easy accessibility of information technology is being misused and even the media is objectifying women in dramas and advertisements, he said.
Prof Dr Abdul Latif of Jahangirnagar university suggested opening a cell where female students can make their complaints.
Moinul Ahsan Saber, editor of the Shaptahik 2000, and teachers and students of different educational institutions spoke at the roundtable moderated by Naima Imam, head of women's rights and gender equality of Actionaid.