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Ateneo admin insists sexual misconduct cases being dealt with


The administration of the Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday said it is taking steps to address sexual harassment on campus, after a faculty-led protest against alleged inaction over sexual misconduct cases was held on Tuesday.

In a statement released on social media, the Ateneo Marketing and Communications Office said regulations are in place to ensure both victims and perpetrators are heard through due process.

 

“We acknowledge that the burden is on the University to gain the trust and confidence of the community. In the instances where a formal complaint was filed, the University [...] conducted the investigation in accordance with the process required by law and our University rules and imposed the commensurate sanction,” the statement read.

The administration cited the Data Privacy and Safe Spaces acts in its refusal to detail the specific actions being taken on the alleged sexual misconduct cases.

“We assure the Ateneo community and the public that we are taking every step possible to ensure that students and employees are safe from sexual harassment. We are committed to improving our systems and working together with all our stakeholders in building a safer and more gender-sensitive Ateneo,” it said.

Under the Ateneo’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy, a Committee on Decorum and Investigation is in charge of “increasing understanding and preventing incidents of sexual harassment.”

The committee is formed by representatives of different sectors of the university.

The policy states that all parties in a sexual harassment case are “required to ensure confidentiality of the issue and all matters related to the incident” to respect individual privacy.

Once the committee has completed its investigation, the university president will decide whether or not to approve its recommended sanctions.

Allegations of sexual misconduct by professors recently rocked social media, leading students and faculty members to mobilize.

Ateneo was previously embattled by similar accusations of sexual misconduct in 2018. —LDF, GMA News

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