Students are protesting outside the principal’s office at George Sarraf Public High School demanding justice against a teacher allegedly harassing female students.
A female student, Ghina Danawi, posted screenshots of how the alleged harasser, Samer Mawlai, was insisting that she video call him and go over to his place.
The post encouraged other students to share their experiences with the teacher, backing them with evidence.
The students refused to attend classes, demanding a transparent investigation by the Ministry of Education into the dozens of harassment allegations against the teacher. They are also demanding proper measures to be taken against his actions.
A video circulating on social media shows how students broke into the principal’s office for sheltering Mawlawi and ignoring all harassment allegations against him. This resulted in the school calling the Lebanese Army to prevent the situation from further escalating.
After listening to their testimonies, the Ministry examined the students’ phones as part of the ongoing investigation.
One of the students told MTV Lebanon, how the teacher while tutoring, gave the class an example of him “marrying and sleeping with four of the female students and buying them dresses”.
Another student expressed how Samer Mawlawi asked her for a picture, and how he forcefully held another female student’s hand in an attempt to change her seat.
Samer Mawlawi was reportedly suspended by a previous school for the same alleged reasons. Some allegations date back to 2015.
However, most schools and administrations apparently decided to disregard the allegations against him, due to his reported political connections.
A number of female students expressed their discomfort around Samer Mawlawi and described his suspicious behavior with them, as intolerable.
Additionally, footage of the teacher caressing students and touching their lower backs started circulating on social media platforms.
After continuous pressure from the brave students, the alleged harasser’s file is now under investigation by the concerned authorities.
