School year 2022/2023. In XNUMX, teachers of a school in the Tuzi area reported a case of sexual harassment of a sixth-grade student by her teacher. Although, according to our sources, both the school administration and the then Ministry of Education (MOE) were informed about this case, the teacher's behavior was not investigated in detail and he continues to work in education. Only these days, after the topic of sexual harassment in schools exploded in public, this case, along with several others, was handed over to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT), according to our sources.
According to the letter from 2023, in which Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) had insight, teacher K. (name known to the editorial staff) inappropriately touched the body of a girl of only about 12 years old at the beginning of the second semester last year. Even before that, according to the report submitted by CIN-CG to the NGO Prima, K. allegedly sexually assaulted this and other students during classes.
After the parents rebelled after the incident in the yard, K. stopped working at that school only the following school year. Nevertheless, he continued his work in another elementary school, also in the vicinity of Tuzi, where, according to several CIN-CG sources, his father is the director.
In a memo signed by a group of teachers in April 2023 and reported to the Ministry, it is stated that the student complained that K. sexually harassed her after she was hit hard by a ball in the school yard. According to the letter, K. first hugged her, and then continued the contact by touching her breasts. It follows from the letter that members of the teaching staff were also aware of this teacher's previously problematic behavior, his lascivious remarks in class and other inappropriate actions.
According to CIN-CG sources, the then director of the Directorate for Preschool and Elementary Education in the Ministry of Education was informed about the application of the group of teachers from April 2023. Aleksandra Kuč. When asked about this case, Kuč first told CIN-CG that she did not remember the mentioned situation "because that year was very turbulent", and that the application of the group of teachers was not in the archives of the Ministry. Later, however, CIN-CG contacted her, as she said she looked at the records in her schedule and saw that she had a meeting on April 21, 2023, where she was informed about the case.
"I informed the cabinet about the details, so that we could take further steps, but I did not receive any feedback," Kuč told CIN-CG. Until the conclusion of this text, CIN-CG was unable to verify these allegations in the office of the former minister Miomir Vojinović.
The former director allegedly does not know about the case, has advanced in his career
Kuč pointed out, in her answer to CIN-CG, that she called the then director of the school Leon Đuravčaj, who allegedly told her: "That there were no reports from students, parents or teachers".
CIN-CG had access to a letter from the teaching staff to Đuravčaj, with similar contents as the report to the Ministry. Đuravčaj, who is now employed at the Institute for Education of Montenegro (ZŠCG), denies to CIN-CG that he knows anything about this event. In a telephone conversation, when asked by CIN-CG what he did to protect the student, as well as other students, he stated that he was not aware of an incident of sexual harassment at that school. He denied that anyone delivered the letter to him.
However, the statements from the school diary, which CIN-CG was able to inspect, clearly indicate that there is also a note from the parents' meeting, where it can be seen that the parents are aware of K's problematic behavior. The note, a copy of which CIN-CG has, states and that: "after the meeting, the parents stayed to wait for the director and discuss everything with him".
A few months after this incident, in September 2023, Đuravčaj was promoted - he moved from the position of village school director to the position of educational supervisor in ZŠCG, an institution that should, among other things, control the teaching staff and ensure that they treat students in the best way .
Educational inspector Lucija Adzic, recently announced on the Reflektor TV Vijesti show that ZŠCG will, as part of its activities, carry out a detailed monitoring of events at the "Slobodan Škerović" Gymnasium, regarding the case of sexual harassment of a former student. Sara Vujisic by the professor Radoman Čečović, which was disclosed in the CIN-CG text at the end of November. On that occasion, Adžić said that the Institute has all the necessary mechanisms to determine the factual situation. The case of Professor Čečović was also taken over by the Prosecutor's Office.
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Institutional cover-up of sexual harassment of children - a common phenomenon
CIN-CG contacted numerous sources among educators, psychologists and other experts who work with children and young people during several months of research on this topic. Several of them stated that they know about cases of sexual harassment of students by the staff, as well as suspicions of more serious forms of sexual abuse. However, almost all of them point out that in the past practice in Montenegro, it usually happened that school administrations and competent authorities did not react adequately to this type of violence, which leaves great and sometimes lifelong consequences for the victims.
I answered in silence is not characteristic only of Montenegro. Well-known cases in the region, but also more widely, confirm that the administrations of institutions generally do everything to protect themselves, including predators, by putting violence under the carpet. This was shown by the example in Serbia disclosed three years ago, when Vreme magazine started a story about the sexual abuse of at least 20 schoolgirls by one of the founders of the elite Scientific Research Station Petnica, intended for gifted natural science students. Like Sara, a high school student from Podgorica, and the students of the Petnica station, they felt betrayed, not only because of the act of abuse, but because of the administration's long-term silence, despite their reports.
The text in Vremen also states the findings of the British Center for Expertise on Sexual Abuse of Children that: "the institution or its managers first have the urge to protect themselves when a case of sexual violence occurs. Thereby, even inadvertently, they protect the perpetrator, while the children are left with a feeling of betrayal, self-blame, loss of trust in adults".
The feeling of being betrayed and left behind is also accompanied by the fear of stigma and branding, especially in small closed environments, which is why victims rarely report violence. And even when they dare to speak out, as in this case, the silence of those responsible protects the predators, leaving the victims at the mercy of the abusers.
Power on the side of the predator
Those who should prosecute these crimes are responsible for the cover-up of sexual harassment and violence in schools, says Aida Perović, psychologist and coordinator of the Youth Counseling Center, which works as part of the NGO Prima, for CIN-CG. "Covering up implies all kinds of lack of action - not reporting the perpetrator, deliberately hiding information, ignoring the facts, reducing the damage caused, as well as obstructing the investigation," explains Perović.
The consequences of covering up sexual harassment and abuse are serious. Covering up causes even more damage to the victim, explains Perović. "The further life of a person who has suffered sexual violence, as well as his mental and physical health, also depends on whether the case is resolved in favor of the victim, or whether the authorities hide and remain silent," says Perović.
Covering up represents the highest degree of irresponsibility not only towards the victim, but also towards society. This way, protection from sexual predators is denied, which is especially problematic when they work with children, this psychologist points out.
Victims who confide in those responsible about what they experienced, and then are silenced, often suffer from feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety, sadness, depression, and may even have suicidal thoughts. "Losing trust in institutions can prevent a victim from seeking help and support and from fighting for justice," says Perović.
"The cover-up of sexual harassment and abuse in schools speaks best of our culture of silencing violence, because of which victims often think that they have no right to speak and that if they do speak out, they will be labeled and stigmatized," Perović points out.
In such a culture of silence, predators feel protected, which is an ideal environment for their activities and impunity. All these, Perović points out, are the foundations of a society in which power remains in the hands of those who commit and cover up violence.
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