Student group claims varsity mishandled sexual harassment case

 

The Student Representative Council (SRC) of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (Utar) Sungai Long campus has created a Sexual Harassment Prevention Code (Code) of its own.

This comes after the council claimed the university poorly handled a recent sexual harassment case involving two of its students during their internship together.

“The SRC hereby reveals that a special committee led by the SRC vice-chairperson has completed a Sexual Harassment Prevention Code (SHPC) and will soon approach NGOs and people with legal backgrounds to improve the procedure of handling sexual harassment cases.

“The Code will then be presented to a meeting with the management to request the university to accept and implement the SHPC to create a zero sexual harassment campus.

“The SRC has not wavered in its position that we have zero tolerance for sexual harassment (and) will stand with the victims in their fight against sexual harassment and seek justice for the victims.

“SRC also pledges to continue providing legal, psychological and spiritual support to the victims after reporting the incident to the university and police,” the group said in a statement tonight.

They then urged the university to take sexual harassment cases more seriously and to acknowledge their fault in this particular incident.

The group also called upon the university to immediately revise the relevant disciplinary rules and regulations to ensure they are more transparent, open and fair in handling similar sexual harassment cases, they added.

It was previously reported that about 300 students held a protest on campus on Feb 24 as they were dissatisfied with how the university was handling the sexual harassment case.

A female student had previously lodged a complaint with the university that a male student she was interning with had verbally and physically harassed her.

It was reported that the male student’s alleged verbal harassment include referring to her by her genitals and making fun of her relationship with her boyfriend.

It was also claimed that the male student would physically harass her by deliberately brushing her buttocks with his genitals when passing a narrow corridor, pinching her waist and touching her face, back, neck and shoulders - among others.

The SRC said the female student later approached them due to her dissatisfaction with the university’s response.

Closed case after apology?

The group claimed that the victim had presented evidence to the university, including screenshots of the male student admitting his wrongdoing.

Despite that, they alleged the university closed the case as the male student had apologised and that there was insufficient evidence.

“During that period, there was no sanction for the offender, no protection for the victim and no effort to make the campus a safer place to pursue our studies,” the SRC said.

They said the management eventually was willing to change its stance and hold a hearing on the matter after pressure from the SRC and the student community.

The male student was then found guilty by the Student Disciplinary Committee, they added.

“SRC will further discuss with the victim whether to appeal or accept the current punishment given to the offender before taking the next step,” the group said. - Mkini