As of 2019, the possibility of professors having abusive behaviour towards students inside and outside university facilities began to be suspected. Given this scenario, the Pedagogical Council (CP) and the Student Commission created an email account to receive anonymous complaints and carry out an investigation.

Between 14 and 25 March, the email inbox had received 70 complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination, 50 of which were considered to be serious.

According to Diário de Notícias (DN), the complaints concerned 10 percent of FDUL teachers. In total, 31 teachers were mentioned, seven of which are linked to more than half of the complaints of teachers who enticed students in exchange for academic benefits. Some students even received messages on social media from teachers during the night, according to the same source.

Complaints from 2012 events were also submitted, as some students took the opportunity to report their situation. Most victims of sexual harassment were women and there are reports of discrimination, xenophobia and racism reported by Brazilian students, black students or students from Portuguese-speaking African countries, according to DN.

Steps being taken

The email address remains available for students to submit their complaints. However, the FDUL management has already begun to take steps to resolve the cases. A support office was opened to support the victims, in a partnership between the Portuguese Bar Association and the Portuguese Psychological Association.

Students, although in accordance with the measures, expect more severe actions, namely asking for help from competent authorities, in the area of ​​investigation. However, under Portuguese law, sexual harassment is not a public crime, so the Public Ministry cannot investigate without the students personally reporting the case to the authorities.

Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos