The Ministry of Education promotes some general regulations related to cases of sexual harassment

Sexual harassment in education has become a hot topic this summer. The Ministry of Education supports the need to promote general regulations regarding cases of sexual harassment, which apply equally to public and private educational institutions, as well as to all public institutions, proposing, within these regulations, including the examination and resolution, by the institutions respectively of notifications made without assuming the identity of the complainant. According to the ministry, the representatives of the institution, together with those of the National Council of Rectors, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, have analyzed the legal framework applicable to the resolution of complaints concerning facts of sexual harassment/sexual aggression, as well as the required legislative changes, "must be general and applicable to all public entities". As a result of the discussions, the need to promote a general regulation, which applies equally to public and private educational institutions, i.e. to the entire national education system, as well as to all public institutions, in a similar way to the one regarding labor relations, as defined by the provisions of HG 970/2023 for the approval of the Methodology regarding the prevention and combating of harassment on the basis of sex, as well as moral harassment at the workplace, the release states. In the view of the Ministry of Education, the expected general regulation should primarily aim at prevention and inter-institutional cooperation, "for the timely discovery of all acts/facts that may constitute a threat to the physical and mental freedom, the harmonious development of each person and of all those involved in the educational process". Also, according to the representatives of the ministry, the priority is also "awareness and access to means of protection" against such behaviors. At the same time, the ministry proposes "the examination and resolution of the notification that does not include the name, surname, contact details or signature of the petitioner, to the extent that it contains indications of non-compliant behavior, i.e. sexual harassment/aggression", as well as "the analysis of the notification formulated without the assumption identity by the commission at the level of the institution/authority, under the conditions of Government Decision no. 970/2023, which will apply to all institutions/public authorities/public entities". After the analysis, a report is drawn up by which the disciplinary investigation committee is notified, if there are elements related to the existence of a possible disciplinary violation, and the notification is sent to the criminal investigation bodies, if it includes information regarding acts of sexual aggression or sexual harassment , the abusive exercise of the position for sexual purposes provided for by the Criminal Code.