Ministry examines rape case
The Education Ministry has asked teachers at a high school in Amarynthos, on the island of Evia, to explain their decision to suspend all five teenagers involved in an alleged rape at the school. Four schoolboys are alleged to have sexually assaulted their 16-year-old classmate, prompting the school in the small town to take the disciplinary action. The boys said the girl consented to having sex with them. The ministry said on Saturday that it wants to make sure the correct process was followed before teachers decided to suspend the students. Officials are also apparently unhappy the Amarynthos teachers assessed that the girl could have avoided involvement in the incident, even though an investigation into the case has yet to be completed. Meanwhile, women’s rights groups staged a demonstration on Saturday in Amarynthos, protesting the treatment of the alleged victim, who is originally from Bulgaria. The teenager, who has not been named, has received backing from politicians and religious leaders.
