The students are pushing for a law to protect against sexual harassment and allow victims to file complaints anonymously.
Students call for a law to prevent sexual harassment. Photo: Shutterstock
The National Alliance of Student Organizations from Romania launched, on Monday, an appeal to the Chamber of Deputies for the rapid adoption of a law to prevent and combat sexual harassment.
To ensure an effective application of the new law, ANOSR requests that the Ministry of Education amend order 6869/2024, thus allowing anonymous referrals to be accepted and analyzed by ethics commissions.
“Thursday, 03.10.2024, the Order of the Minister of Education no. was published in the Official Gazette. 6869/2024 which regulates the new framework regulation regarding the organization and functioning of university ethics commissions. Considering the cases of deviations from the norms of university ethics reported in the public space, the need to create a clear legislative framework regarding reporting and sanctioning them is indisputable. ANOSR has always approached a policy of zero tolerance towards any violation of these norms, reasoning for which the federation has firmly positioned itself against any actions that contravene the principles of ethics and academic integrity, including those regarding harassment and sexual harassment”the organization announced in a press release on Monday.
The National Alliance of Student Organizations in Romania has requested, since August, that members of the academic community can report cases of sexual harassment without revealing their identity.
The organization also added: “In order to integrate this proposal, it is necessary, however, to amend art. 7 of Government Ordinance no. 27/2002 on the regulation of the activity of resolving petitions, the completion of this normative act being a mandatory stage in the regulation of the possibility of submitting anonymous reports to ethics commissions. We draw attention to the fact that, although the amendment process started in the Senate on 21.08.2024, through L429/2024, it was not a priority for the citizens’ representatives in the Romanian Parliament. Due to the lack of interest regarding the urgency of the steps, ANOSR, as the representative of all students in Romania, requests the members of the Chamber of Deputies, the project being in its competence for the final adoption in the Parliament, to prioritize the initiative and adopt it quickly”.
The students insist that the Ministry of Education provide the necessary legal framework for anonymous reports to be admissible in the process of investigating cases of sexual harassment. “Nevertheless, the normative act contains proposals of the federation submitted to the ministry, since the decision-making transparency period of the normative act, which contribute to improving the safety of students in higher education institutions”they also transmitted.
What the students refer to
The obligation of university ethics committees to carry out actions to educate and raise awareness among students regarding the importance of complying with academic ethics norms, by organizing information sessions, workshops and other similar activities.
Ensuring transparency in the operation of ethics commissions by publishing online their composition and all relevant information for filing complaints, including standard forms and contacts.
The need to implement continuing education programs aimed at cultivating a culture of academic integrity among all members of the university community.
Recognition of the autonomous right of ethics commissions to initiate on their own initiative the analysis and resolution of any situations that may constitute deviations from the norms of academic ethics.
Guaranteeing the right of victims of harassment or abuse to benefit from specialized assistance from the higher education institution, with a view to recovery and reintegration.
