Sexual abuse in schools

A recent sexual abuse case by two teachers at a high school in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, has enraged parents and students.

The police found the two allegedly molested 72 students after receiving reports from some of the students. This means 35 percent of the 210 female students at the school had experienced some kind of sexual misconduct.

It is particularly shocking that one of the predators is in charge of counseling for students who have experienced human rights abuses at the school.

It is incomprehensible that the school had no idea of the widespread sexual abuse by the two teachers before the police investigation. A student reportedly told her homeroom teacher about it, but the teacher ignored her and told her to come back if it occurs again. Many parents will find it hard to comprehend how some teachers can be so insensitive.

According to the law on protecting minors from sex crimes, a teacher must notify the investigative authorities immediately upon learning of sexual abuse. If the teachers properly observed this law, then the school might have learned about it sooner and stopped the two teachers from molesting so many students. This has been happening for more than two years.

Sexual abuse by teachers is nothing new. The above case comes only a month after a gym teacher at a girls’ high school in Buan, North Jeolla Province, was arrested for habitually molesting students.

The education ministry announced stronger punishment for teachers who commit sex crimes two years ago, but this has obviously done little to curb them. Anyone who sexually abuses students does not have the right to be in the teaching profession. They should be severely punished or dismissed.

The education ministry should order all middle and high schools to conduct a survey of sexual abuse. There could be many more schools like the one in Yeoju where massive sexual abuse has gone unnoticed for a long period of time.