Members of the committee

This page introduces who will be in a committee.

Students OR Teachers?

We believe that involving students into the investigation process yields the following benefits：

[ ] Students are more likely to observe sexual harassment among their classmates, especially online. For example, if online sexual harassment occurs in the social media Groupchat, students are more likely to collect evidences. ****
[ ] For victims, sharing experiences of sexual harassments with peers may be easier than with teachers. For some minor sexual harassment, like verbal sexual harassment, if only teachers are involved in investigation, victims may refuse to report because “it is not a big deal.” However, they may be more willing to share feelings with peers who can sympathise with them.
[ ] For some international schools, language barrier is also a factor to consider. After a traumatic experience, victims may not be able to describe everything in detail correctly in their second language with teachers.

However, committee composed of students should be aware that:

[ ] There must be a reasonable and comprehensive selection system to ensure every student working in the committee is responsible and capable of finishing tasks.
[ ] Before they work at the committee, students must accomplish all necessary training programs.
[ ] For some severe cases, students at the committee must talk to the school immediately. If necessary, students should also hand the case over to schools.

You can evaluate based on your campus’ situation whether you want a committee composed of students.

What should the committee consist of ?

The Sexual Harassment Investigation Panel consists of X people, (usually an odd number, so that if there is any dissent, the panel can hold internal voting. The number should not be above 10 as that will be ineffective)

X people will come from Grade A, Y people from Grade B. etc.; out of considerations of legal responsibility and experiences, the panel temporarily does not accept Grade C and Grade D students. (You may change the number and grade of students according to your school situations.) The members of the Panel will be selected publicly by the former Panel, and temporarily the members admitted will be from Grade A only. The standard of selection will include but not be limited to responsibility, courses taken, and individual targets and prospects. If any member wants to leave halfway, the new member will be selected from former rejected candidates; however, if not for special cases such as mental health issues, transfer from the school, etc., the leave is not acceptable. (This rule is to ensure the consistency of decisions made, you may change according to your school’s needs.)

Who should be members of the committee?

Generally, members of the committee should fit the following standard, which you may adjust as neccessary.

[ ] Responsible
[ ] sensitive for gender-related issues
[ ] able to sympathise with peers
[ ] Willing to devote time and effort for the cause
[ ] Just and fair during investigations and decision-making
[ ] Has sound knowledge of ethics and methods of conducting interviews during investigations
[ ] Does not have prior violation of relevant school codes

→ Go back to the main page 7. Committee

→ Go back to the content Toolkit for Anti-Sexual Harassment Institution at School