DepEd urged to shield students from retaliation in sex abuse cases

MANILA, Philippines — A group that monitors sexual harassment cases in schools has called on the Department of Education to establish concrete anti-retaliation policies to protect victims when they file complaints against school authorities, including their teachers accused of sexual misconduct.

Enough is Enough, a student-led organization against sexual abuse in campuses, met with 120 student leaders on February 10 to relaunch its campaign for safe spaces in schools amid what they have described as the government's “lethargic” approach to ending campus sexual harassment.

New demands were drawn up during the gathering, which had “galvanized” student leaders from different schools to take action on the continued rise in sexual harassment cases in their own campuses, Enough is Enough (EIE) said in a statement.

After consultations with students, the group said there is an urgent need to create a standardized anti-retaliatory policy in schools “to protect victim-survivors from both predators and enablers as they come forward.”

This new demand adds to the group's four proposed amendments to Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act since its establishment in 2022. 

Specifically, EIE has sought the mandatory provision of support for victims, punishment for “predators” and those who help them, the removal of teaching licenses and banning of those guilty of sexual misoncduct and the creation of a national sex offender registry available to the public.

“We believe that without an explicit policy, the culture of fear and impunity will remain and will gravely hinder the victim-survivors path to attaining justice,” EIE Lead Convenor Sophie Reyes said in a message to Philstar.com.

“Five years after the passing of the Safe Spaces Act, there is still no guarantee we are safe in our own schools, let alone any guarantee the justice sought by victim-survivors who share their stories, as if the stigma they face isn’t enough,” Reyes added.

Based on its monitoring, EIE has recorded at least 61 incidents of campus sexual misconduct that have taken place. 

But “multiple cases … have either been dropped or remain unresolved” while several accused remain unpunished, the group said.

Last year, EIE reiterated its call for DepEd to ensure that it takes action on all those accused of sexual harassment in schools, noting that fear of reprisal or humiliation has prevented several victims from speaking out.

The group also urged DepEd to look into the potential underreporting of sexual harassment among students, saying that the 70 complaints officially reported to DepEd’s student safety hotline since its creation in 2022 are “lacking.”

Reyes said students often do not feel safe in reporting sexual abuse as they have “no idea what happens to predators once their behavior is exposed.”

DepEd told House lawmakers in August 2023 that just two teachers under the agency have been charged with “child grooming” cases, acknowledging that it struggles to conduct investigations due to the reluctance of victims or witnesses to submit a formal affidavit testifying to their experiences.