IN last week's article, we discussed the role of parents in educating children about sexual abuse. We saw that sexual harassment of children results in pain, suffering and humiliation. And that it is important to educate children about this issue from an early age by teaching them how to respect the boundaries of others and how to properly report inappropriate behaviors. Many readers, however, sent me emails asking me to write about the role of teachers in educating children about sexual abuse since much of sexual harassment takes place in the school. There is no doubt that going to school is a wonderful experience for many children. In addition to learning invaluable lessons and gaining knowledge which will guide them through the rest of their lives, children develop important social skills in school and grow emotionally and physically. However, children can face some new problems at school which they should know how to handle. One of these problems is sexual harassment. This is much more prevalent than most people would admit. Hence, there lies a great responsibility on schools and their administrations to protect students from sexual harassment. But this topic remains a taboo in our society. Since the educational system in our society is single-sex based, many people do not accept the fact that sexual harassment could exist in such an environment. Others just do not want to admit it. However, the fact that we have a segregated educational system does not mean it is immune to sexual harassment. The most important thing that teachers should do is inform children about the existence of sexual harassment in schools. This, as we said in the last week's article, is primarily parents' duty. But teachers must also educate children about sexual harassment. Children should know what is meant by sexual harassment. It can be defined as any unwanted behavior that is sexual in nature. This includes, but not limited to, jokes, name-calling, picture-drawing, graffiti, sexual gestures, talk of sexual acts in the presence of others, spreading rumors of a sexual nature about others, and, of course, unwanted or inappropriate touches. When students know this, they will be able to differentiate between what is sexual harassment and what is not. Then, it should be made clear to students that it is not their fault to experience sexual harassment. In many cases it is the fault of the harassers. Accordingly, students will learn that there is no shame in reporting such cases. They will defend themselves with confidence. It is important for students to know that sexual harassment is only about abuse of power by one person over another. That is to say, like most bullies, these harassers use taunts to place themselves higher than the victim in the inevitable school social system. Students with high self-esteem will be less likely to tolerate such behaviors. The problem in our schools is the tremendous shame and pressure exerted upon victims by peer-groups. In other words, the victim is totally humiliated. The shame extends to the victim's family as well. Hence, it is not accepted in many social milieus to admit sexual harassment, let alone report it. This is in the case of boys. In the case of girls the matter is worse, as some tend to commit what we call honor crimes. Schools must adopt a zero tolerance policy toward sexual harassment. This will prevent this problem from occurring again. Then, it should be stated in no uncertain terms that anyone found guilty of sexual harassment will be rusticated immediately, without exception. He will not be admitted again unless the guardian comes to school. By such strict measures, many students will be deterred from harassing other students sexually. – SG The writer can be reached at [email protected] __
