STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE STUDENTS BEHIND #FEUHSDoBetter
Trigger Warning: Contains mentions of sexual violence. Viewer discretion is advised.
Sulong condemns to the highest possible degree the sexual harassment and violence done to the students of the FEU High School (FEU HS). The hashtag #FEUHSDoBetter took the internet by storm this past week, with students bravely divulging their experiences of sexual harassment and grooming at the hands of male professors.
The persistence of such appalling predatory behavior in an educational institution is a clear indicator of an administration that upholds its public image more sufficiently than the rights and safety of their students.
Many cases remain unreported because: (1) the offending authorities eluded the necessary consequences; (2) the officers entrusted to represent students’ rights instead contributed to a vile culture of victim-blaming, and; (3) the administration produced a rushed statement on their official Facebook page, evidenced by the lack of concrete measures to take accountability for their blatant negligence.
In light of these events, we join the FEU HS community in their call for long-overdue accountability and safety within this institution.
We maintain that it is urgent for the FEU HS administration to heed the students’ demands:
proper and transparent investigation by the administration;
revocation of the predators’ teaching licenses and;
outright condemnation of these crimes by the institution at large
We also urge the school administration to thoroughly refine its policies and grievance procedures in accordance with RA 11313, or the ‘Safe Spaces Act,’ in order to cultivate a safer and more gender-sensitive learning environment. This should extend to assuring the community that no sexual predators remain at large, whether on campus or online. We implore the administration to provide free psychosocial consultations for the victim-survivors with their consent to aid them in their recovery. Engage its campus officers, program councils, and the whole student body to end campus-based sexual violence once and for all.
Remember the names of the accused, for they have been etched forever unto the minds of the victim-survivors. Remain vigilant in reporting suspected cases of sexual violence. End the culture of silence now.
No more impunity for sexual predators! Support the FEU HS student body by signing their petition to hold the predatory teachers and harassers accountable here: https://t.co/PHHSCdH1LL
Sulong stands with you in this struggle. We offer free legal and psychosocial aid for victim-survivors of sexual violence, open to the FEU HS student body. Feel free to request here: http://bit.ly/SulongRequestForm
Together, we journey towards recovery and justice.