Govt orders schools, colleges to form committees for prevention of sexual abuse

The government has ordered all secondary- and higher secondary-level educational institutions of Bangladesh to form committees in an effort to stop sexual harassment.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education issued the order to constitute five-member committees at the institutions last Thursday.

It came weeks after Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi’s death in an arson attack following her refusal to withdraw sexual abuse charges against the principal.

The offices under the directorate were also asked to form committees to prevent sexual harassment following guidelines set by the High Court.

The High Court laid down a set of guidelines to prevent sexual harassment on women and children at work places, educational institutions and on the streets in 2009.

The court in the guidelines asked authorities to set up sexual harassment complaint centres at work places, educational institutions and constitute committees to investigate charges.

A woman will head such committee that will have no fewer than five members, mostly women, according to the guidelines.

Sexually suggestive remarks directly or on the phone, indecent email, giving indecent looks and calling someone beautiful in a bad sense will be admitted as sexual harassment in court.