If you donโt know why weโre talking about this, congratulations on your prolonged abstinence from the Internet. You may now search up Monica Baey on Google and update yourself on the original incident as well as the responses from the school authorities and student body.
This was a case of sexual misconduct that blew up online and in the end served as the catalyst for the change.
Flaws in the Old Measures
In the case mentioned, the perpetrator was issued a 12-month conditional warning by the police that dictates he be charged for the original offence (and the new crime) if he commits the same crime within the 12 months.
NUS also rolled out their own measures:
- Made him write a compulsory apology letter.
- Mandatory counselling.
- Not allowed in the dorms anymore.
- Gave him a one-semester suspension.
The Board of Discipline (BOD) then reviewed that they previously โemphasised offender rehabilitation, rather than punishment and deterrenceโ, which lead to โthe sanctions imposed were less stringent than those recommended in the guidelines.โ
As a result, the victims did not receive enough support and their ordeals werenโt respected. They also didnโt have much say in the proceedings, nor were they kept in the loop of things, only updated of the result over the phone.
The Internet got angry, reforms were made, and with that in mindโฆ
The New Measures
These focus on raising the deterrence for sexual misconduct and increasing victim support.
Firstly, harsher punishments for more effective deterrence:
According to Channel NewsAsia: โSanctions recommended by the committee includes a minimum one-year suspension that the BOD or appeals board cannot override, and mandatory expulsion for more severe cases โ including multiple cases of sexual misconduct with no mitigating factors.โ
With these new punishments, twelve students would have been expelled if theyโve committed their offences post-Monica-Baey.
Offenders will also have a notation of the length of their suspension on their academic transcriptsโฆwhich prospective employers can see.
Then, increased victim voice and support:
Victims will be kept up to date on proceedings, as well as having more say through the provision of a statement of facts and impact statement before proceedings.
Currently, the discipline board can begin proceedings without the victimโs statement of facts (case in point: Monica).
Now, it is largely mandatory. As the committee said: โTo ensure that the victimโs voice is always considered, the committee recommends that the victimโs statement be a requirement for the BOD to proceed, unless the victim specifically decides against providing a statement.โ
With that, other related documents like impact statements and medical reports can also be submitted.
Victims can now also make an appeal to the Disciplinary Appeals Board (DAB); previously only offenders could.
Additional measures:
According to Channel NewsAsia:
โTo guard against reoffending, offenders must also be certified fit by a counsellor and/or medical professional before they are allowed to return to campus after suspension. A โno-contact protocolโ would also be established.โ
The no-contact protocol includes making sure the victim and offender do not take the same classes or non-academic programmes.
There are also plans for a new compulsory module, Respect and Consent Culture, beginning in the 2019/2020 academic year, though some think this is futile.
Still, itโs more of an added measure to complement the main punitive ones so there shouldnโt be a problem.
Kind of reminds you of ๅฅฝๅ ฌๆฐ in primary school.
What To Do If Youโre a Victim
Past cases will not be reopened, but things will be better from here on out.
To current and potential undergraduates, if anything is amiss do speak up.
The committee said all complaints or allegations will be considered a possible serious offence and must be referred to the Provost, who will then decide which allegation will be looked at by the BOD or, for single incidents, the head of an academic or non-academic unit.
And also, if thereโs one person to thank for, thank Monica Baey.