Education Minister Hassan Diab stressed on Monday that child
molesters at schools in Lebanon would face severe consequences after a teacher
at a well-known Catholic school sexually abused 11 children over the past
several months.
During a joint press conference with Social Affairs Minister Wael
Abou Faour and Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, Diab said: “Those who carry
out such acts will face several consequences and there will be a clear
mechanism to resolve these cases.”
Diab vowed that the three ministries would follow up the case and
stressed on the necessity of launching awareness campaigns to avoid similar
incidents in the future.
The most severe punitive measures should be imposed on the
molester, Abou Faour said, adding that the judiciary is now dealing with the
case.
The scandal erupted last week when reportedly a six-year-old girl
at St. Joseph School in Aintoura told her parents about the abuse.
She reportedly said the 22-year-old arts teacher had instructed
her “to lift her skirt before pressing himself up against her.”
The sexual molestation ranged from rape to photographing the girls
naked, media reports said.
The school’s president Father Antoine Nakad said at a press
conference on Monday that the administration sacked the involved teacher, filed
a criminal complaint against him and appointed a psychiatrist to follow up the
case with the students as soon as it found out about the sexual abuse.
“If you believe that the measures we took are not enough, we are
ready to do what is necessary to compensate the victims,” he stressed.
The teacher, identified with the initials B.Sh., was hospitalized
over the weekend after he survived a car crash. He has been placed under a
heavy security guard at the Jounieh hospital where he is being treated for his
injuries.
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