Sexual harassment at school
Some 60 percent of students at secondary school have been the victims of sexual harassment, according to a survey by the Technical College (TEI) of Crete which was published in Sunday’s Kathimerini. The most common forms of harassment were sexual comments, receiving lewd messages, uninvited kissing and touching, while some students complained of someone trying to take their clothes off by force, according to the survey, which questioned 394 students at schools in Crete. About one-third of those surveyed confessed to having approached a member of the opposite sex with conversation containing suggestive comments, while 21 percent said that someone had tried to caress them. The school’s toilets are where most of the harassment took place. The study explained that boys are normally more aggressive in this form of behavior due to biological and social reasons. «Boys are likely to try and impose themselves using violence as a means of self-assurance and as a way of seeking the acceptance of their peers,» the study said. The news highlights changing trends in society being reflected in the schoolyard. According to the results of a study released last week by the National Center for Social Research (EKKE), one in three Greek primary school pupils claims to have been the victim of violence and one in 10 admits to bullying a fellow pupil at school. According to TEI Crete, teenagers who have been abused at home are often easier targets. Additionally, research shows that about 75 percent of women who have been sexually harassed have low education levels and that this is a trend that may be repeated with their children.
