Years of trauma: 20-year pattern of sexual abuse by foreign teacher exposed
Did the schools turn a blind eye and why? Reporters from The Nation and SPRiNG News try to find out. An international school in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area and another in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli were recently rocked by a disturbing revelation
A former teacher has been accused of a decade-long pattern of sexual abuse against his charges.
The allegations paint a harrowing picture of a predator lurking in the classrooms. Testimonies say “Mr V” would isolate students, show them pornographic materials and then coerce them into sexual acts.
Despite repeated attempts by concerned colleagues and staff to raise the alarm, school authorities at both campuses seemed reluctant to take any significant disciplinary action or implement preventive measures.
A teacher at the Ramkhamheang school said the school management had been informed of Mr V’s inappropriate actions like taking middle-school students to shopping malls on weekends. Yet the complaint only fuelled gossip and gave Mr V reason to quit before any formal action could be taken.
A pattern of abuse
Staff members from the second school also provided detailed descriptions of Mr V’s misconduct.
They said he would insist on sharing hotel rooms and even beds with students while on overseas trips, even when other rooms were available. He was also accused of making male students sit on his lap and engage in sexually suggestive movements. Mr V also reportedly took students to Pattaya on unauthorised trips and even addressed them as “sexy” or “sweetie”.
Parents also raised complaints with school authorities about Mr V frequently inviting their children to his home for sleepovers, sharing their beds and showing them pornographic images.
“The staff knew about his behaviour, but they either ignored it or treated it as a joke,” one former teacher from the second school said.
The schools’ response
Yet despite several complaints about Mr V’s inappropriate behaviour, neither school took action.
One staff member at the Bang Phli school said this was likely because of Mr V’s long tenure and his close ties with school administrators, parents and former students, which made him virtually untouchable.
One victim contacted the Bang Phli school in March this year to report that Mr V had abused him some 10 years ago, while he was a student at the school. The school responded to the former student a week later with a letter saying it would review its policies to ensure students are protected.
“We are committed to ensuring that our school remains a safe environment where students feel protected,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, reporters from both the Nation and Spring News have been trying to contact both schools, their management, alumni associations and parent-teacher groups for comments since the beginning of October, but in vain.
A representative from one of the school’s parent groups responded, saying they had learned about the sexual abuse only via a social media post published by one of the victims earlier this year. This individual also promised to link the reporters with school officials, but no contact has been made so far.
