The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) preventively suspended a professor after learning of complaints from students accusing him of harassment on social media.
“The director of FMUP [Altamiro da Costa Pereira] determined the preventive and immediate suspension of the teacher in question and will initiate, as soon as possible, the necessary procedures, aiming to fully establish the facts and the consequent decision-making regarding the future of this teacher at the institution”, reads a response sent, in writing, to Lusa, after being questioned about a case of alleged harassment on social media by a teacher.
Also in response to Lusa, in a written message, the professor in question guarantees that he “never harassed anyone in person or through digital means”.
“I would like to clarify, unequivocally, that I have never harassed anyone, whether in person or through digital means. This is a case of identity theft. I never sent any message and I will report it to the competent authorities”, it reads.
A group of students from the University of Porto (U. Porto) alleges that they are being harassed and digitally harassed by an FMUP professor and sent a complaint to the Rectory of the University of Porto, alleging “harassment on social networks”.
An official source from the Rectory confirmed to Lusa that the complaint against a professor at that higher education institution was “filed with legal services” on Friday, the 24th.
To Lusa, the group of students from the U. Porto who made the complaint, says that the FMUP professor follows them on social media, says likes (like) private photos, interact with stories (shared video stories) and sends inappropriate messages.
“The action goes beyond FMUP. Students from other faculties report similar cases. In our case we are between 17 and 22 years old and, after comparison, we saw identical messages from the aforementioned doctor to six colleagues on the same day (…) Some of us thought it was a network for professional use due to the content published, but when you follow us, you post likessegue storiesputs hearts and sends messages saying that he is a surgeon and professor, it seems serious and inappropriate to us”.
Given the “seriousness of the reported situations”, the director of FMUP ordered the preventive and immediate suspension of the teacher in question.
FMUP emphasizes, however, that until today the “management of FMUP, the management of the Department in which the teacher works, the respective hierarchical superior and the FMUP Student Association had not received any formal complaint, or even informal information, regarding the behavior of this employee”.
FMUP ensures that “all reports of inappropriate behavior are treated with the utmost seriousness and rigor, regardless of how they come to the institution’s attention”.
“FMUP reiterates its total condemnation of any form of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, retaliation, physical violence or moral coercion, in line with the Code of Conduct of the University of Porto and with the principles that govern academic life. The Faculty expresses solidarity and support to all people who feel affected by behavior of this nature, particularly whistleblowers, and assures its commitment to ensuring that they have support appropriate institution during the tabulation process”.
A source from the Rectory of the U. Porto told Lusa that now the usual procedure for any complaint is to send the complaint to the director of the Faculty, because he is the person with “disciplinary power over the members of his faculty”, noting that the case could proceed to “a possible investigation”.
The U.Porto students, who do not want to give their real name, because they say they are “afraid of reprisals at the U.Porto, at the Medical Association or in the courts”, add that the doctor and professor supervises “several dissertations” and that he is “president of the district of the Braga Medical Association”.
The “doctor and professor follows many women and other, older women complain in the same way about being harassed and digitally persecuted, especially because we speak among ourselves in a group with more than 200 women. We believe it is a repeated action, there are cases of identical messages sent at the same time and inappropriate (…) After speaking among ourselves we found that he does the same with other women and interacts with photos of children and sends messages”.
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