Sexual harassment in academia: What turns some university teachers into aggressors?

Dr Naadir Junaid, a professor of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, recently faced accusations from a female student of the department of sexual harassment and psychological abuse.

Last month, a similar allegation was brought up against Dr Mahbubul Matin, a professor in the Chemistry department at Chittagong University. Md Nurul Islam of the Social Welfare and Research Institute of Dhaka University was also accused of sexual harassment in November last year.

While any accusation requires proper evidence for validation, these are by no means isolated incidents and merely scratch the surface of a broader issue.

A study conducted last year at Rajshahi University revealed that 90% of university students refrain from reporting instances of sexual harassment, primarily due to concerns about the uncertainty of receiving justice as well as the possibility of their own character assassination.

As evident from the aforementioned instances, many of the victims are typically harassed or abused by none other than their teachers. The said study also noted that 9% of students were harassed by their teachers.

This raises the question: what factors contribute to university students being particularly prone to sexual abuse by their teachers?

The phenomenon basically underscores the extent of university teachers' unchecked authority. This alone has the potential to profoundly impact students' lives – both academically and professionally.

In her official complaint submitted to the university authorities, the student who made allegations against Dr Junaid stated that she initially refrained from reporting the harassment, despite enduring it for nearly one and a half years.

It is because the accused had "a lot of power in his hand," being a senior professor, as well as the next in line to become the chairperson of the department.

Indeed, sexual abuse is closely linked to power dynamics. The motivation behind such abuse extends beyond mere sexual gratification; it encompasses a desire to dominate, assert control and wield power over another individual.

These power dynamics can stem from various factors, including gender inequality, societal norms and individual attitudes towards consent and autonomy.

Hence, sexual abuse can be interpreted as a manifestation of power imbalances within society, wherein perpetrators exploit their position of authority or privilege to violate the bodily autonomy and rights of others.

But what exactly makes university teachers so powerful? Because, more often than not, we hear that teachers of our country, in general, do not receive as much honour as they deserve.

Turns out, university teachers are a different breed altogether, characterised by a degree of dominance that exceeds that of educators in other academic settings and even supervisors or employers in many workplaces.

Here we are talking about the jurisdiction to affect a student's entire life by manipulating their academic grades and, at times, withholding the necessary recommendations for securing employment or pursuing higher education abroad.

Consider this scenario: If a woman experiences harassment from her employer in a workplace setting, she may still be inclined to file a complaint against him, as she may not feel strongly about retaining her current job.

Even if she were to lose her position, she could likely find alternative employment elsewhere.

But life is not as easy for students in universities, where teachers have so much academic power that some of them become ruthless powermongers.

From class participation percentages to scores of quizzes, tutorials, mid-term and final exams, assignments, presentations, thesis papers and even oral examinations (viva voce), the academic success of students in our country is entirely reliant on their teachers.

Hence, if a teacher ever gets mad at a student, they can make the particular student's life miserable. This could further hinder the student's long-term goals in life. So, this fosters an environment where students feel powerless to report instances of abuse, at least immediately. 

In the case of Dr Junaid, even before the accusations of sexual harassment against him, he had faced allegations of academic misconduct.

Outgoing postgraduate students of his department alleged that he intentionally gave them unusually low grades in a course, acting out of personal animosity.

In the result of the batch's comprehensive course, which includes 50 marks written and 50 marks viva, 35 out of 54 students received a grade point below 3.00.

In the remaining three courses of the semester, the majority of these 35 students achieved grade points ranging from 3.50 to 3.75, significantly higher than what they obtained in the comprehensive course. 

Consequently, none of the students from this batch attained a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) exceeding 3.50 in their overall Master's degree, rendering them ineligible to pursue careers as university teachers without obtaining a second Master's degree or pursuing higher studies.

So, this is the kind of power a university teacher can exert on a student to alter their whole life. And on most occasions, they can get away with it with little to no repercussions.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, students often feel compelled to maintain good relationships with their university teachers even after completing their studies, particularly if they seek recommendations to secure desirable employment opportunities.

Admission to foreign universities is also impossible without the recommendation letters of the native university teachers.

As a result, it is hardly surprising that many university teachers in our country develop a God Complex and hold the belief that they can do anything with their students.

At times, that "anything" can even go to the extent of claiming sexual advantages from them.

Students, however, usually stay silent as they fear consequences and believe that nothing is going to change for the better. And thus persist the vicious spiral of silence, a culture of fear, as well as the power dynamics.