High School Students Boycott Classes in Protest Against Harassment

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The students of a high school in İstanbul have launched a campaign on social media under the hashtag #TacizVarSesÇıkar (There is harassment, raise your voice) and boycotted their classes today (October 23).

A female student named Eylül, who graduated from the Kadriye Moroğlu Anatolian High School last year and has recently started her university education, took the harassments of her former geography teacher at high school to court and spoke to bianet about the incident.

After bianet published the news report about Eylül yesterday, the students of the high school have released a statement on social media and said,

"There are, unfortunately, an incident of harassment and an harasser teacher in our school. It is in no way possible for us, the students of this school, to remain silent in the face of such an incident".

The campaign has reached hundreds of people on social media in a short span of time. The students of the high school also boycotted the classes today in protest against the incident.

Eylül: I have learnt that several people lived through it

Speaking to bianet about the campaign launched by students against harassment, Eylül has said,

"I have received incredible feedbacks, I have received too much support. I have listened to stories from the current students of the school, which we have not heard before. On the one hand, I have felt sorry that so many people have gone through all these; on the other hand, I have become hopeful with the thought that some things will change."

Boycott of classes at school

Students at the high school boycotted the classes. The video footages, where the students are chanting slogans and protesting the teacher, have been shared with bianet. It has been learnt that the teacher in question has locked himself in the teachers' room as a result of the protests.

What happened?

Eylül, who graduated from high school last year and has started her university education, has taken the harassment of her geography teacher at high school to court after the complaint that she has submitted to the school administration and the ensuing investigation remained inconclusive.

Speaking to bianet, Eylül has stated that the harasser teacher has still been working as a teacher at the same school and added that there are also other female students harassed by the same teacher, but they cannot file a complaint since they have reservations about both their parents and the teacher, with whom they have still been at the same school.

The Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has issued an indictment against the teacher on charges of "sexual harassment of the child" and "petty threat". The next hearing of the case will be held at Küçükçekmece Courthouse in İstanbul on November 20, 2018.

In the criminal complaint that she submitted to the Prosecutor's Office with her family, Eylül stated that she has also filed a complaint against the school administration, "which did not inform the judicial authorities about the incident despite having knowledge of it". It has been expected that a separate investigation could be launched against the school administration. (EÜ/ÇT/SD)