Fecode calls for action from the Ministry of Education to prevent sexual violence

This Friday, March 25, the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (Fecode) sent a letter to the Ministry of Education, requesting further action to prevent sexual violence in the country's school settings.

In the letter, teachers asked the national government to expand the coverage of the application of Directive 01 of 2022, in which the Ministry issued guidelines to territorial authorities, for the prevention of sexual violence in academic spaces in Colombia.

The communication is addressed to the Minister of Education, María Victoria Angulo, where she is also asked to strengthen the appointment of counseling teachers in educational institutions for the timely care of potential victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

The Colombian teachers' union stated that there should be better guidance in order to adequately address the victims of these cases: “A higher degree of prioritization must be given in the disciplinary field exercised by the heads of disciplinary control of territorial entities, certified in order to guarantee the due process and access to the administration of justice for both, investigated and victimized,” the letter reads.

Fecode's complaint focuses on the fact that the territorial authorities do not have the necessary tools to achieve greater speed in disciplinary proceedings, against officials accused of committing abusive acts against school-age children and adolescents.

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The Directive to which Fecode refers, was signed on March 4, by Minister Angulo and one of the determinations stated in the document is that “the State, through each and every one of its agents, has the inexcusable responsibility to act in a timely manner to ensure the realization, protection and restoration of the rights of children and adolescents”.

The first measure issued by the Ministry, to the educational authorities and schools, is that when they become aware of an alleged victim or of an action of sexual violence against a student: “at all times the staff of the educational institution, as well as the staff of the territorial body certified in education must provide care, accompaniment and support to the child or adolescent victim, prioritising their rights in each of their actions, not underestimating the complaint or situation of risk, but on the contrary acting diligently and in a timely manner”.

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The Directive also guides actions of an administrative nature, in the selection, appointment or hiring of administrative staff or educators, for the prevention and treatment of situations of sexual violence in the school environment. It also integrates actions to be taken so that, in the event of alleged cases of sexual violence, action is taken without re-victimization and the integrity and information of the case is protected.

Another request made by the union is to carry out pedagogical actions, with training for teachers and managers, for the prevention of sexual abusive acts in the country's colleges and schools. Likewise, they pointed to the need for this “to be directed to the secretariats of education to form interdisciplinary teams that have the specific competence to carry out prevention, care and follow-up of cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the school environment”.

Based on information reported by 81 Certified Territorial Entities to the Ministry of Education, on cases of alleged sexual abuse in school settings for the period January 2018 to February 2022, 876 cases are registered nationwide, of which 65 have been sanctioned, 127 have been filed and 684 are under investigation.

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