The Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, said on Thursday that several legislative changes are being prepared regarding sexual harassment in the university environment and that “the harmonization of legislation in this field for the entire public system” will also be targeted.
Ligia Deca: We audit ethics commissions in all universities Photo: INQUAM Photos Octav Ganea
“I think we have all been shaken by the testimonies of the victims of the university events that have appeared in the media lately. We have already discussed together with colleagues from other ministries and public institutions and decided that we will work together with specialists from the Ministry of Justice, from other relevant ministries, from the National Authority for Equality of Chances, in collaboration with the Council of Rectors, in order to create a legislative circuit, so that any notification quickly enters the analysis circuit, regardless of its form: anonymous or non-anonymous. Notifications regarding criminal acts, for example harassment, will be sent directly to the prosecutors and the Police, following the analysis carried out where the notification is made“, declared Ligia Deca, at the beginning of the Government meeting.
The Minister of Education stated that it will be targeted “harmonization of legislation in this field for the entire public system“.
“We will also aim to harmonize the legislation in this field for the entire public system, considering that the rules regarding workplace research apply to all areas of society. Hence the need for inter-institutional consultation and, in addition, as we announced yesterday in the press release, we are auditing the ethics commissions in all universities in Romania, by the beginning of the academic year we will have a report on how they were registered, analyzed and resolved complaints in this field: violation of university ethics and deontology”the minister added.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu asked, on Thursday, the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, to come up with proposals to complete and amend the legislation following cases of sexual harassment in the university environment.
The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, said on Wednesday that she encourages victims of abuse to file complaints, noting that “mess should never be hidden under the rug“.
On Monday, the Capital Police started investigations against the university professor Alfred Bulai, he being investigated for committing the crime of using his position for sexual purposes. And the Public Prosecutor’s Office attached to the 1st District Court urged the SNSPA students, who were allegedly victims of the teacher, to contact the prosecutors, while the investigators promised them that they would ensure their protection and protect their identity.
Sociologist Alfred Bulai is accused of asking female students to undress in front of him, according to investigative website Snoop, which spoke to victims of the teacher’s abuse.
