Teachers accused: #MeToo movement gains momentum in schools

Students protest against sexual harassment. Yonhap

By Jung Hae-myoung

Students across Korea are raising their voices against sexual harassment, saying they, too, have long been victimized by abusive teachers.

This month alone, students from 19 middle and high schools have accused teachers of using their authority to sexually harass them, sharing stories via social media and calling on authorities to take proper action.

A girl who introduced herself as a middle school student in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, claimed her ethics teacher told her he would give her a perfect score if she sat on his lap.

More cases are reported on Facebook, with reports not only from students but also female teachers victimized by fellow teachers.

At a middle school in Incheon, dozens of students have accused a teacher of repeatedly using foul language. They covered windows and blackboards with sticky notes that said "We'll win" and "Come clean!"

Some schools and regional education offices have taken appropriate measures such as launching their own investigations and making the teachers apologize to students and punishing them for their behavior. However, many students say their headmasters and teachers are only working on hushing the students and preventing the claims from spreading.

Following a series of "school #MeToo" incidents, a petition post came up on the Cheong Wa Dae website recently, demanding active response from the government to protect students from sexual harassment at school.

"Korean students are sending out an SOS through social media that they are exposed to constant sexual harassment at school," the petitioner said. "The government should not disregard the school #MeToo movement but protect female students' human rights."

The petitioner also said teachers should receive mandatory sex education and those accused of sexual assault should be permanently disqualified under a zero-tolerance policy.

Experts say sexual harassment at schools is like workplace sexual harassment, where senior workers have power over their subordinates.

"Students cannot say no to their teachers because teachers have power to control their grades for college," said Lee Hyeon-sook, the director of Tacteen, a social organization for the human rights of women, children and teenagers.

"Students today have been raised with better education on human rights and gender equality than their teachers. The teachers usually think the students are acting too sensitive, which creates the problem."

Lee also said the government should punish the offending teachers, and that middle and high schools also need professional counseling offices like those in universities, to prevent further sexual violence and offer treatment for victims.

"It is important to create a culture at school in which teachers can hear out students' voice and appreciate them for raising their voices," Lee said.

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