Hong Kong teacher arrested on suspicion of sexually harassing female student on mainland China trip
- Police receive complaint alleging 14-year-old female student from secondary school in Tin Shui Wai sexually harassed during visit to mainland in April, force spokesman says
- Education Bureau confirms it is investigating sexual harassment allegations by female pupils against male teacher
A 43-year-old teacher from a secondary school in Hong Kong has been arrested on suspicion of sexually harassing a female student on a trip to mainland China.
Police received a complaint on Tuesday alleging a 14-year-old female student from a secondary school in Tin Shui Wai was sexually harassed by a man during a visit to the mainland in April, a source said.
A man was arrested in Tai Po in connection with the case, the police insider added.
The Yuen Long district crime squad is following up on the case.
Information suggested the case happened at a hotel in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, according to the source.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Education Bureau confirmed it had launched an investigation after a secondary school reported allegations of a male teacher sexually harassing female students during the trip.
“The school concerned has notified the Education Bureau of the incident and activated a crisis management team to deal with the incident,” a spokesman said.
He added action would be taken “if any violation of teachers’ professional ethics is found”.
The allegations became public knowledge after an Instagram page linked to the Tin Shui Wai school was used to publish several posts alleging pupils were harassed during the school trip and that the institution had failed to take action.
The social media page accused the teacher of sexually harassing at least four girls on a five-day trip he led to Changchun in Jilin province in the spring.
The teacher was said to have touched the hands and backs of pupils, poked their armpits and held their hands.
One post alleged the teacher had also held inappropriate conversations with girl pupils about pornography and Aids.
“It has been more than a month since the incident was first being dealt with, but no action has been taken against the teacher, such as suspension,” a post dated May 6 said.
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It added that the school had only “suspended the extracurricular and non-academic activities” led by the teacher.
“The school only held meetings with senior management and gave no explanations for the students,” the post said.
The trip involved a visit to Jilin University’s School of Life Sciences, which involved talks about genetic privacy and the treatment of tumours using microchip technology.
The Changchun Municipal Bureau of Education, responsible for the university, said the Hong Kong school tour involved about 30 students and teachers, including the principal.
The Post has contacted the school for comment.
Additional reporting by Danny Mok
