BEIRUT:
St. Joseph Aintoura College in Mount Lebanon fired Monday a teacher accused of
sexually abusing and harassing students in his care, and Social Affairs
Minister Wael Abu Faour promised a full and transparent investigation into the
case.
“We
decided to expel the teacher even before an investigation had been launched,”
the school’s principal, Father Antoine Nakad, said during a news conference
Monday afternoon.
Earlier
in the day, the incident was tackled in a meeting attended by the education,
social affairs and justice ministers. “The case will be followed up by the
judiciary ... we agreed to establish a committee which brings together the
Education, Social Affairs and Justice ministries,” said Social Affairs Minister
Wael Abu Faour.
Abu
Faour added that “the committee will draft recommendations in an effort to produce
a plan of action which will be announced next Monday,” and vowed that concrete
results would be reached.
The
minister urged parents “not to cover up such cases” and called on institutions
not to take a defensive attitude.
Both
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi and Education Minister Hasan Diab highlighted
the need to organize awareness campaigns regarding the threat posed by sexual
predators. The ministers said the campaigns should be conducted collectively by
families, schools and public administrations.
Judicial
sources identified the teacher as 22-year-old Pierre Shalash.
Sources
added that as soon as Shalash leaves the hospital, where he is being treated
for injuries sustained in a car accident Saturday, he would be investigated by
the Office for Preserving Public Order and Conduct. According to a security
source, the accident was likely a suicide attempt.
Abu
Faour brought criminal charges against the teacher Saturday and the families of
the schoolgirls filed a civil action in the criminal proceeding.
Maroun
Abu Sharaf, the lawyer representing the parents of the alleged victims, said in
a television interview that the case was with Mount Lebanon’s Prosecutor Claude
Karam.
“We
followed up with [Public Prosecutor] Saeed Mirza, who stressed that he will not
be lenient,” said Abu Sharaf.
The
lawyer added that there were four cases against the teacher, in addition to
three victims who did not come forward publicly.
In
addition to expelling Shalash, Father Nakad announced that the institution
would join the case against him and ask psychiatrists to provide counseling to
his alleged victims. “We will work to resolve the issue of sexual harassment
inside the school campus wisely and calmly but firmly, without leaving room for
rumors,” he said.
The Association of Teachers
in Private Schools issued a statement Monday addressing the incident and
expressing confidence in the judiciary. “We trust the judiciary, so we ask the
various media outlets to wait for the investigation’s results. If the teacher
is convicted, we will call for very tough punishment,” said association head
Nehme Mahfoud.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jun-05/175722-school-sacks-teacher-accused-of-sexually-abusing-students-state-files-criminal-charges.ashx#axzz1wvMEwjSZ
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