The Ateneo community voiced support for Far Easter University High School (FEUHS) who have come out online to protest numerous incidents of sexual harassment in school and to call on the school administration to do better in handling of such cases.
(Photo courtesy of Time's Up Ateneo / File photo)
In April, #FEUHSDoBetter trended on Twitter after incidents of sexual harassment involving some of faculty members of the school triggered social media outcry.
READ MORE: #FEUHSDoBetter trends after reported sexual abuse incidents surfaced online
Time's Up Ateneo said the issues raised in the #FEUHSDoBetter campaign are "familiar" to the group.
"We. too, have had to confront horrifying tales of sexual violence on campus. We, too, have had to call on the school administration to fulfill their mandate to protect students and other members of the school community," the group said in a statement released Sunday night, May 2.
Time's Up Ateneo likewise expressed its alarm over reports that some students who have spoken out are facing acts of retaliation.
"It is especially distressing that some of these high school students, brave as they are, are now being harassed with legal threats," it continued.
"None of this is new. It is a common tactic for sexual harassers to cower behind threats of a lawsuit. But this standard playbook tactic does not faze us: protection of survivors is enshrined in Philippine law, and due process, if justly and correctly upheld, ensured such protection," the group added, citing the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 and Safe Spaces Act of 2019.
Time's Up Ateneo assured that it is ready to mobilize its resources and to tap its larger network to protect FEUHS students legally.
"Sexual harassers do not scare us. As a community of survivors and advocates, our struggle for justice and healing transcends campuses. Together, we will fight for safer spaces for all."
Time’s Up Ateneo is a psychosocial support system and advocate group advocating for a survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches to sexual violence.
The group was formed in 2019 after students and faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University staged a series of protests in October to decry the growing number of sexual harassment and misconduct cases in its campus.