(a) Detailed Analysis

This case is about a religious primary school teacher in Bandar Baru Bangi who
has been detained by the police for molesting six pupils who were aged between 11
and 12 since 2014. The school concerned is under the supervision of the Selangor
government since 2014. The case has been classified under Section 354/377D of
the Penal Code for assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage a persons
modesty. According to the victims statements, they had been assaulted by the 29-
year-old male teacher when they were at the school. The victims did not tell anyone
about the incident because they felt ashamed and feared being chided by the suspect
as they had promised him not to tell anyone about it. Kajang district police chief ACP
Othman Nanyan said the parents decided to lodge a police report after the
management of school failed to take action despite being told of the incident about a
week before the suspect arrested.

This incident is an explicit act of violence. It clearly shows that sexual assault
can happen to anyone regardless of age, sexual orientation or gender identity. Men
and boys who have been sexually assaulted or abused may have many of the same
feelings and reactions as other survivors of sexual assault (Berdahl, Magley, & Waldo,
1996). However, they may also face some additional challenges because of social
attitudes and stereotypes about men and masculinity. Like female survivors, most
male survivors never report being assaulted, even to people they know and trust. They
fear being ignored, laughed at, disbelieved, shamed, accused of weakness, or
questioned about being gay. Perhaps worst of all, men fear being blamed for the
assault because they were not man enough to protect themselves in the face of an
attack. For all these reasons, many male survivors remain silent and alone rather than
risk further violation by those around them. In addition, the fact that sexual harassment
remains an unfortunate part of school culture which has been affecting the educational
experiences of millions of students, regardless of gender is evident from this incident.

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(b) Self-reflection on the Professional Practices

According to the article analysed, the cause of the incident is not clearly
explained. However, in my opinion, I believe that a teacher who harasses a student
may be doing so because he or she is experiencing the stress from various personal
problems such as marital trouble or divorce, a professional crisis, financial difficulties,
medical problems, or the death of a spouse or child. This unacceptable behaviour can
be a symptom of the effects of such stresses, and may stop if the situation changes,
or the pressures are removed (Ashgar, et.al, 2011). On the other hand, most
complaints about teachers' behaviour tend to centre around what is felt to be
inappropriate. This includes speech in a class or discussion using sexist or sexual
references to make a point by unethical teachers. However, some teachers have been
taking things to a more extreme degree. Relationships between students and teachers
can be often quite intimate and intense as they share common passions and interests.
The reason is that students are more likely to depend on their teachers' approval for
academic success, opportunities, and later career success. They will talk about
personal issues, such as problems at home, or with their classmates/peers. Thus, I
believe strongly that such closeness and intimacy can blur the professional boundaries
and lead both teacher and student to step over the line.

The incident has made it clear to me that as a future educator I should always
adhere to the code of ethics which is designed to protect the rights of the all the
students. It is important that teachers understand the code of ethics when they get a
teaching position they are agreeing to follow the code of ethics. Teachers must be fair
to all their students and not to take advantage of their position in any way. Based on
the newspaper article, we could see that the accused fail as a teacher to follow the
professional code of ethics in which he should have demonstrated integrity and ethical
behaviour among his pupils.

Moreover, I have learnt that ethical behaviour is not just a matter of following
the letter of the law or sticking to the obligations of the Code. I should always act within
the spirit of the law and the Code. It is not sufficient to think that a teachers behaviour
is ethical, it must also be seen to be so. This is because the appearance of unethical
behaviour can be just as damaging to public confidence in the profession as unethical
conduct itself. Therefore, teachers should refrain from any misconduct that could
assault or harm a student as it can cause psychological damage to him/her. This can

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be done by promoting an environment that is accepting of and tolerant of diversity, and
is free from intimidation, threat, humiliation and harassment.

Moreover, teachers need to establish a professional relationship with all

students both in and outside the classroom and not let it get too casual and familiar.
Becoming too informal or casual in their interactions with students might lead to any
misconduct, ranging from inappropriate comments or jokes to sexual intercourse that
is intended to establish a romantic or sexual relationship with them (Hamre & Pianta,
2001). This has enlightened me as a future teacher to establish a trusting rapport with
my students at all time. This is because teachers wield a great deal of power over their
students simply due to the fact that they control their destiny for up to six and a half
hours each day, five days a week. When students feel that teachers value and care
for them as individuals, they tend to appreciate and like their teachers.

Next, I realized that students should first be educated to understand and act
against sexual harassment. This can be done through training pupils in the primary
schools. Thus, in my opinion, the school concerned (in the previous task) could have
carried out trainings about issues of sexual harassment. Accoding to Dziech, Billie
Wright, Weiner and Linda (1990), these types of trainings should be proactive where
the participants should be made to answer questions such as the forms of sexual
harassment, the prospective victim and the perpetrator and possible action taken by
the victim, among others. By doing this, teachers can create awareness among pupils
about the issue of sexual harassment. In addition, they also should be taught the
difference between friendly teasing and bullying as well as between flirting and
harassment. Behaviour expectations must be clearly defined and explained. It has to
be fair, and consistent consequences need to be outlined and reinforced to them. The
reason is because ignoring the situation can often lead to a cycle of ongoing
harassment and victimization. Moreover, a teacher who commits sexual assaults gets
an emotional payoff from seeing his pupils afraid and upset. Furthermore, pupils must
learn to be assertive and establish strong personal boundaries. For instance, they
must tell their teacher of opposite gender to stop when their behaviour is offensive and
inappropriate. If harassment continues, pupils need to seek help from other
stakeholders like teachers who are trustworthy, counsellors, administrators or their
parents. Pupils are often embarrassed to report sexual harassment because of its
degrading nature. They need to know that the harassment is not their fault, nor is it a
reflection on them. They need to keep asking for help until the harassment stops.

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Thus, teachers have to educate to be knowledgeable about the topic of child sexual
abuse in order for them to be successful in their prevention efforts.

Based on the analysis, I am fully cognizant of the importance of providing high-

quality training to school staff involving all teachers to establish a clear and valid
conception of the sexual problems and its dynamics. For instance, credentials of
trainers should be carefully checked to ensure that myths and unhelpful ideas are not
transmitted. Staff should be educated in a culture of extended guardianship where the
responsibility for prevention is seen as an ordinary responsibility of all adults
(Fitzgerald, & Shullman, (1993). Mentoring and support should be provided for staff
experiencing personal problems. Moreover, rules about staff-student relationships
should be unambiguous, widely disseminated and supported by in-house staff training.
A key focus should be on clear and appropriate personal-professional boundaries.

In a nutshell, as future educator no one needs to remind us of the importance

of protecting students from school violence. Hence, it is crucial that teachers
understand the code of ethics and follow it accordingly to avoid any misconducts. Plus,
school administrators must be on constant vigil to protect students from the needless
suffering of sexual harassment. School personnel must never turn a deaf ear to
students' seemingly trivial cries for help. Sexual harassment is not something young
people need to learn to tolerate. Rather, it must be confronted and stopped so that
schools can be safe and positive places for children to learn. Failure to implement and
enforce sexual harassment policies and procedures will jeopardize the emotional and
educational well-being of our students.

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References

Ashgar Ali Ali Mohamed, MuzaffarSyah Mallow and Farheen Baig Sardar Baig (2012). Sexual
Harassment at the Workplace in Malaysia, Selangor. The Malaysian Current Law
Journal Sdn Bhd., pp. 80-101.

Berdahl, J. L., Magley, V. J., & Waldo, C. R. (1996). The Sexual Harassment of Men?
Exploring the Concept with Theory and Data. Psychology of Women Quarterly.20,
527547.

Fitzgerald, L. F, &Shullman, S. L. (1993). Sexual harassment: A research analysis and

agenda for the 1990s Journal of Vocational Education, 42, 527.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacherchild relationships and the trajectory of
childrens school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72(2), 625-638.

Dziech, Billie Wright, Weiner, Linda. (1990). The Lecherous Professor: Sexual Harassment on
Campus. Chicago Illinois: University of Illinois Press

Stein, N. (1999). Classrooms and courtrooms: Facing sexual harassment in K-12

schools. New York, NY; Teachers College Press, Columbia University.