Physical and Sexual Abuse of Children at a Boys’ Elementary School in Ray City

Published reports have revealed physical and sexual abuse of children at a boys’ elementary school in Ray City by their teacher.

A shocking report of sexual abuse, along with physical abuse of children at an elementary school, has caused widespread shock and has led to numerous reactions from parents. At this elementary school, a male teacher took children to the school prayer room under the pretext of punishment, calling it “military-style punishment,” and repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted them by touching their private body parts.

According to reports from the “Hammiham” newspaper, the teacher in question, who started his job at the school last year, has been taking a number of fifth-grade students to the school prayer room since early December of last year (1403) under the excuse of not studying and punishing them. This teacher named his punishment and harassment “military-style punishment,” which included sit-ups and stand-ups, touching private body parts with feet, and sexual harassment accompanied by threats.

In recent months, parents of children repeatedly complained to the school principal about this teacher’s mistreatment, which included expelling children from class, using profanity and crude language to students, and throwing markers at children, but their complaints went unheeded. Most children remained silent about the sexual abuse out of fear, but some parents whose children had been sexually abused noticed a more serious problem through severe anxiety, nightmares, academic decline, and their child’s unwillingness to attend school.

In early Esfand 1403, one child informed his mother about the sexual abuse, and this issue spread among families, resulting in other children gradually discussing the abuse they had experienced from their teacher with their families.

As a result of the children’s poor mental condition, mothers immediately filed a new complaint with the school principal. Although the principal claimed there was a camera in the prayer room, he refused to present the recorded footage. A few days after this news was spread in the class mothers’ group on the “Shad” network, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the news was deleted without their knowledge, and no one else was aware of the mothers’ follow-up on the teacher’s sexual harassment complaints.

According to published reports, 9 students had been referred to the Ministry of Education counseling center by mid-Esfand of last year, and psychological counseling sessions were held for some children twice and for others once. The Ministry of Education’s Public Relations also announced that the Education Security Department is awaiting reviews by the oversight committee on violations, but will vigorously pursue the matter and take action if confirmed.

Parents did not file legal complaints until the end of Esfand and were all waiting for a response from the Ministry of Education. According to the statement of the mother of one of the abused children, the Department of Education told families not to escalate the issue and not to make a big deal out of it.

The Department of Education’s neglect of this issue and the escalation of corporal punishment that had extended to students’ private parts caused parents’ voices to grow louder, resulting in the teacher being expelled from the school and the school principal, who is herself a parent, losing her position.

Last night, the Governor of Ray City announced that the Head of Education in District One of Ray City will also resign from his position for failing to report the incidents to higher authorities. Student mothers believe that similar incidents have occurred repeatedly in the past, but due to the teacher’s threats, their children were unable to report the matter. The students’ silence has also led to the repetition of this problem.

Parents are questioning why, despite the repetition of such problems in the past and repeated warnings from parents to management, the management system and the Ministry of Education acted negligently and failed to address the issue. Repeated complaints from parents regarding this issue and children’s mental state caused the Public Prosecutor and the Revolutionary Prosecutor of Ray City to directly intervene in the matter.

“Mohammad Mehdi Rahimi” announced last night, Sunday, April 24, that a case file has been opened in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents, but the investigation process must be completely confidential to protect the psychological security of the victim children and prevent the spread of non-expert opinions.

“Bijan Soleiman Pur,” Deputy Governor and Governor of Ray City, also stated this morning, Monday, April 25, while appreciating the media for accurately reporting this incident, that the Director of Education in District One was dismissed due to negligence and failure to report to higher authorities.

His appreciation of the media for covering this bitter event suggests that, although this action came late, it indicates a change in perspective regarding the role of media in clarifying social issues, which can be seen as a step toward reform.