Students of the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague can use an electronic questionnaire to comment anonymously on whether they have encountered cases of inappropriate behavior at school and on ways to deal with such situations. According to today’s press release, the faculty has accelerated steps that will lead to the strengthening of prevention and resolution of inappropriate behavior on the campus, including sexual harassment or violence. They want to set up a faculty ombudsman.
Prague rights are thus responding to the case of their former student and exhibitor TOP 09 Dominik Feri, who was accused by some women of sexual coercion.
The faculty has previously described Ferio’s accusations as serious and the conduct attributed to him as unacceptable. However, the school does not have the tools to conduct an investigation on its own, and since Feri has already completed his studies, he cannot even take disciplinary action against him, said Jan Kuklík, the dean of the faculty, last week. At the same time, he expressed support for all victims of such conduct.
At the end of May, Feri resigned from office after several women testified about his sexual misconduct. He will not even run in the autumn elections to the Chamber of Deputies and resigned from the TOP 09.
“We decided to start with a questionnaire survey so that everyone at the faculty can honestly describe their experiences and feelings. This will allow us to set up such a system of measures so that it really works and everyone can trust it,” said Kuklík, dean of Prague.
In addition to creating the position of faculty ombudsman, the new system should include, in particular, a clear mechanism for making suggestions and how they will be further addressed, as well as awareness raising among students and staff. Věra Honusková from the Department of International Law, who wants to consult the system with external entities, is in charge of the preparation. An informal meeting was held on Monday with representatives of the Women in Law and In One Round associations. “A round table will take place in two weeks, where we would like to discuss our proposals and look for the best way to fulfill them,” Honusková added. Work on the new system of measures will continue during the summer, it could work from the beginning of next semester.
Feri studied at the faculty from 2015 to 2020. One week ago, a young opposition politician announced his resignation on May 31 after the testimony of several women about sexual harassment or violence. He denied sexual violence, but apologized for “inappropriate” or “inappropriate” behavior in some situations. The claims in the article are also dealt with by the police. The investigation leads to the suspicion of committing one of the crimes against human dignity in the sexual field. Police also called on potential victims to contact them. No one has been charged in the case yet.
Source: CTK
