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In the aftermath of a sexual assault scandal that shook their university, the Association of Students of the National School of Business and Management of Oujda (ENCGO) has requested for the ongoing investigation to be expanded to look into other teachers at the school.
Only a few teachers have had fingers pointed at them for their involvement in “sex for grades” practices, but the student association suggests there could be still more whose involvement in such misbehavior has not been uncovered.
The association published a statement on Monday, thanking all public and private departments for supporting efforts against sexual harassment at educational establishments.
It also thanked the media for spotlighting the case, but insisted there is still more to do to ensure that sexual predators are held accountable.
News on sexual harassment in public schools, including on traditional university campuses and at national business schools (ENCG), stirred controversy across Morocco in recent weeks as screenshots of leaked messages went viral online.
Most of the leaked messages documented professors making sexual advances to their female students in exchange for good grades.
Amid the popular outcry created by the series of “sex for grades” scandals across Moroccan universities, Morocco’s Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui expeditiously appointed a committee to investigate the case.
Welcoming the setting of such a committee, the Oujda ENCG student association said it has received many sexual assault complaints from students, many of whom have long been afraid to speak about their experiences.
The statement said the complaints were also submitted to local authorities, with demands to accelerate the much-needed investigations into all pending sexual harassment cases that have emerged in the past few days.
While saying that it appreciates the ministry’s apparent determination to adequately respond to the epidemic of sexual harassment in Moroccan universities, the students’ statement emphasized that the ministry’s actions should not remain a simple reaction to the media’s coverage of the latest scandals.
“The ultimate objective is to fight against such phenomena which undermine the dignity of students and which damage the image of the Moroccan university,” it pleaded.
Last week, ENCG Oujda students protested against the apparent normalization of sexual misbehavior among some professors, denouncing both the silence of the university administration in past incidents and the continued plight of female students.
In response, the Mohammed I University in Oujda has pledged to take more action against sexual harassment. In a statement, the university’s presidency vowed to firmly punish “anything that would harm the dignity of female students in [sexual harassment] cases if proven correct.”
The university also said it has set up a committee consisting of specialized professors and psychiatrists to assist victims. In addition, the school has created a phone line for victims to report harassment.
For protesting and still infuriated students, however, it remains to been whether the recent promises from both national authorities and university administrations will be translated into much-needed action to uproot sexual misbehavior from Moroccan campuses.
