Students and women’s rights activists yesterday demanded implementation of a policy to resist sexual harassment of female students in the universities urging all to come forward to help stop recurrence of such incidents in future.

The press conference was organised by Women for Women at the National Press Club in the city.

At the press conference, some students burst into tears expressing their frustration with the decision of the Jahangirnagar University (JU) syndicate to clear Mohammad Sanowar Hossain Sunny, associate professor of the Department of Drama and Dramatics, of sexual harassment charges on Saturday.

The department had been closed for the last four months owing to students’ movement against the sexual assault on four female students by that teacher in April last.

“Will it be possible for us to lodge complaint again if any such abusive incidents occur in future on the campus? asked the JU students, who were involved with the movement, saying, “We have lost our all hopes for justice.”

After the declaration of the syndicate’s decision, a third-year female student of the same department tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pill on Saturday night, they added.

The students said as the university authorities did not take any punitive measures against the teacher, they will not be responsible if he is harassed anywhere.

They also decided to continue the movement until the authorities take any exemplary punishment against Sunny.

President of Women for Women and Professor of the Department of Women and Gender Studies of Dhaka University (DU) Mahmuda Islam chaired the press conference.

She said although a policy to resist sexual harassment was formulated and sent to different universities in 2002, the university authorities did not take any step to implement the policy.

Prof Anu Mohammad of the economics department at JU said some teachers are against the implementation of the policy because they believe it will disclose hundreds of such more incidents.

“The JU syndicate has accepted the policy against sexual harassment in principle but it is not implementing the policy,” he added.

The boycotting of classes by the students for four months taking the risk of session jam and other complexities of their life is enough to confirm the occurrence of unwanted incidents, Anu Mohammed said.

Professor Sadeka Halim of sociology department at DU and members of Women for Women Salma Khan and Jahanara Haque also addressed the press conference.

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