The Hindu : New Delhi News : Concern over incidents of sexual abuse of students Law & order

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 01, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Concern over incidents of sexual abuse of students Law & order

It tarnishes the pristine relationship that students and teachers share, observes Devesh K. Pandey

Teachers have always been held in high esteem in this country. Parents submit their children to teachers in the firm belief that they will guide their wards to the right path and protect them. But incidents like the one this week in Delhi in which a Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya woman teacher was allegedly found pushing girl students into the flesh trade tend to shake that belief.

The very thought of a teacher indulging in drugging students and then filming them in compromising positions to force them into prostitution is reprehensible. It tarnishes the pristine relationship that students and teachers share. What is more disturbing is that a female teacher has been accused of the crime. While such a sordid incident has been reported for the first time in the Capital, there is no denying the fact that instances of sexual abuse by teachers are on the rise here. And this is evident from the cases reported in the recent past in which teachers of Government-run schools were accused of molesting students.

One of the cases was reported this past July when half a dozen girl students of an MCD-run school at Mangolpuri accused one of their male teachers of sexually abusing them. The accused used to molest the girls inside the classroom; when they protested, he would allegedly threaten them into silence. The case caught the attention of the authorities concerned after the girls and their parents staged a protest outside the school demanding action against the teacher.

Incidents of some school principals indulging in malicious acts have also come to the fore in the past. In one such case, the Principal of an MCD-run school at Pushp Vihar was arrested this past April on charges of sexually harassing a 10-year-old student. The charge against him was that he would call the victim to his office on one pretext or the other and then molest her. The incident came to light when the victim refused to go to school and this aroused her parent’s suspicion who subsequently reported the matter to the police.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the Delhi Commission for Women had then voiced its concern over the increasing number of cases of sexual exploitation of girl students in the Capital. Last December, the soaring number of complaints of molestation forced the MCD authorities to propose transfer of male teachers from girls’ schools, but the proposal has been kept in abeyance since following strong protest by teachers.

Given the circumstances, it is possible that many incidents of sexual exploitation of students in Delhi schools are going unreported.

Though the authorities have been prompt in suspending the teacher accused of forcing students into prostitution, they should also take urgent steps to prevent such incidents in future. Many parents feel that the Government, in coordination with the school authorities, should identify the teachers with dubious records and dismiss them from service.

The teaching community in the Capital should also come forward with suggestions to check incidents of sexual abuse of students.

The school managements should seek regular feedbacks from students and parents about the performance and conduct of teachers.

Also, parents should carefully check the background of private tutors before entrusting their wards to them.

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