Ayon sa RA 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, mayroong mga responsibilidad ang school o educational at training institutions:
Section 21. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in Educational and Training Institutions.— All schools, whether public or private, shall designate an officer-in-charge to receive complaints regarding violations of this Act, and shall, ensure that the victims are provided with a gender-sensitive environment that is both respectful to the victims’ needs and conducive to truth-telling.
Every school must adopt and publish grievance procedures to facilitate the filing of complaints by students and faculty members. Even if an individual does not want to file a complaint or does not request that the school take any action on behalf of a student or faculty member and school authorities have knowledge or reasonably know about a possible or impending act of gender-based sexual harassment or sexual violence, the school should promptly investigate to determine the veracity of such information or knowledge and the circumstances under which the act of gender-based sexual harassment or sexual violence were committed, and take appropriate steps to resolve the situation. If a school knows or reasonably should know about acts of gender-based sexual harassment or sexual violence being committed that creates a hostile environment, the school must take immediate action to eliminate the same acts, prevent their recurrence, and address their effects.
Once a perpetrator is found guilty, the educational institution may reserve the right to strip the diploma from the perpetrator or issue an expulsion order.
The Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) of all educational institutions shall address gender-based sexual harassment and online sexual harassment in accordance with the rules and procedures contained in their CODI manual.
Section 22. Duties of School Heads. -School heads shall have the following duties:
(a) Disseminate or post a copy of this Act in a conspicuous place in the educational institution;
(b) Provide measures to prevent gender-based sexual harassment in educational institutions, like information campaigns;
(c) Create an independent internal mechanism or a CODI to investigate and address complaints of gender-based sexual harassment which shall:
(1) Adequately represent the school administration, the trainers, instructors, professors or coaches and students or trainees, students and parents, as the case may be;
(2) Designate a woman as its head and not less than half of its members should be women;
(3) Ensure equal representation of persons of diverse sexual orientation, identity and/or expression, in the CODI as far as practicable;
(4) Be composed of members who should be impartial and not connected or related to the alleged perpetrator;
(5) Investigate and decide on complaints within ten (10) days or less upon receipt, thereof;
(6) Observe due process;
(7) Protect the complainant from retaliation; and
(8) Guarantee confidentiality to the greatest extent possible.
(d) Provide and disseminate, in consultation with all persons in the educational institution, a code of conduct or school policy which shall:
(1) Expressly reiterate the prohibition on gender-based sexual harassment;
(2) Prescribe the procedures of the internal mechanism created under this Act; and
(3) Set administrative penalties.
Section 23. Liability of School Heads.— In addition to liability for committing acts of gender-based sexual harassment, principals, school heads, teachers, instructors, professors, coaches, trainers, or any odier person who has authority, influence or moral ascendancy over another in an educational or training institution may also be held responsible for:
(a) Non-implementation of their duties under Section 22 of this Act, as provided in the penal provisions; or
(b) Failure to act on reported acts of gender-based sexual harassment committed in the educational institution.
Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section, shall upon conviction, be penalized with a fine of not less than Five thousand pesos (₱5,000.00) nor more than Ten thousand pesos (₱10,000.00).
Any person who violates subsection (b) of this section, shall upon conviction, be penalized with a fine of not less than Ten thousand pesos (₱10,000.00) nor more than Fifteen thousand pesos (₱15,000.00).
Section 24. Liability of Students.— Minor students who are found to have committed acts of gender-based sexual harassment shall only be held liable for administrative sanctions by the school as stated in their school handbook.
Section 25. Routine Inspection.— The Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shall conduct regular spontaneous inspections to ensure compliance of school heads with their obligations under this Act.
Base sa mga nabanggit na provisions ng batas, ang mga school head ay pwedeng maparusahan sa ilalim ng batas kung mapatunayan na hindi nakasunod sa mga nabanggit na requirements ng batas.
Kung sakaling hindi magconduct ng investigation ang school, pwedeng maghain ng reklamo sa applicable na regional office ng CHED sa sumusunod na link:https://ched.gov.ph/regional-offices/.
Maaari rin kayong sumangguni sa NBI Anti-violence Against Women and Children Division (VAWCD) sa mga sumusunod na contact details: Phone 8525-6028; E-mail: vawcd@nbi.gov.ph.
Pwede ring sumangguni sa PNP Women and Children Protection Center sa mga sumusunod na contact details:
Trunkline: +632 723 0401
Message Center Local Number: 6961
AVAWCD Local Number: 6962
Aleng Pulis Hotline: (+63) 919 777 7377
Page: https://facebook.com/pnpwcpc.alengpulis