Schools ‘failing to report sex harassment’

SCHOOLS are failing to report cases of sexual harassment because they fear it will damage their reputation, campaigners have claimed.

MSPs yesterday heard how education chiefs were not officially recording incidents.

Holyrood’s equalities and human rights committee was told young girls were being targeted with a range of abuse – from people pulling on their bras to being physically sexually assaulted in schools.

And campaigners said girls would often try to make themselves seem smaller, or try to be quiet so people would not notice them after experiencing harassment.

Dr Patrycja Kupiec of YWCA Scotland said there is a ‘postcode lottery’ in schools – some have procedures to deal with sexual harassment complaints, but others do not. Her organisation recommends standardising ‘reporting procedures so they are the same across different schools’.