▲ The Human Rights Center's staff is introducing the report procedure to our reporter.

 

 

Seoul National University of Science and Technology has various student welfare facilities. Students can rent a movie on the second floor of the library and drink delicious drinks at low prices at five cafes on campus. The Student Welfare Committee provides calculators, sanitary pads, emergency medicine, and chargers.

However, there is one more thing students need to live in campus life and even society. It's healthy mind. In modern society, people suffer from various human rights issues. Even in university society, infringements often occur. The discovery and resolution of infringement cases are important. Moreover, supporting the mental health needs of victims is also essential. Seoul National University of Science and Technology has an institution that helps with these matters. The SeoulTech Human Rights Center, located on the third floor of Building No. 52 (Student Union Building 2), is an institution whose staff consults with victims and resolves human rights violations in various areas of SeoulTech. This article will introduce the Human Rights Center, report the status of international students' use, and offer prospects and expectations.

The SeoulTech Human Rights Center is an organization established to protect the human rights of university members, respect diversity, and create a gender-equal university culture. There are various human relationships in our university such as friends, seniors, juniors, lovers, colleagues, and professors. Of course, there are healthy relationships that help people learn from each other, but there are also negative relationships in which basic rights are violated. The Human Rights Center aims to prevent these things from happening in advance by promoting human rights and gender sensitivity through various programs and activities. In the event of human rights violations and sexual harassment issues, the center works to help victims solve problems by providing consulting for their grievances and offering psychological support. For example, the center conducts violence prevention campaigns and group counseling programs.

 

Among the most pivotal activities is the reporting and arbitration of human rights violations/sexual violence in SeoulTech. The Human Rights Center gives the following explanations about how to act:

Ⅰ. Initial Report

① A person who has suffered human rights violations, sexual violence, etc., or who is aware of the fact may report the details to the center.

② A report submitted to the center should contain personal information, the date and time of the incident, and the details of the damage.

③ A third party other than the victim may report, and in this case, the victim's own intention must be confirmed to decide whether to consult or investigate.

④ When an institution other than the center receives a report, it shall be transferred to the center without delay.

Ⅱ. Investigation

① The head of the center may report or initiate an investigation ex officio.

② At the request of the victim or agent, the head of the center shall promptly respond by providing counseling recommendations and by informing the parties of necessary details.

③ The head of the center shall take necessary measures so that the parties can be investigated fairly in a free environment.

④ The investigation of the case shall be completed within six months from the date of receipt of the report.

Ⅲ. Reporting Results and Recommendations

① If the deliberation committee acknowledges the offense, it may request measures such as disciplinary action.

② The chairperson must request any disciplinary action from the president, according to the recommendations of the Deliberation Committee.

③ When the chairperson requests disciplinary action against the respondent, he may request the relevant department not to approve the respondent's withdrawal, leave of absence, or resignation until the disciplinary decision and disciplinary action are completed.

Ⅳ. Mental Health First aid and Grievance Counseling

① If counseling for the victim is necessary, the Human Rights Center shall provide counseling.

② At this time, the counselor shall be an expert in the relevant field or a certificate holder.

Ⅴ. Other Measures

① In the process of investigating and handling cases such as human rights violations, the protection of victims should be considered as a top priority.

② Victims have the right to appoint an agent in the process of handling the case.

③ The victim may request the involvement or exclusion of a specific person in the process of handling the case, and the head of the center shall accept the request unless there is a justifiable reason.

④ All parties involved in investigating a case such as human rights violations shall not divulge any fact or data collected without justifiable reasons.

Where deemed necessary to prevent human rights violations and recurrence of sexual harassment or sexual violence, the center may conduct special preventative education and investigation of actual conditions or perceptions.

 

Students, faculty, and staff can all benefit from these procedures. The Human Rights Center has detailed provisions for human rights violations. However, we wondered how much international students would know about this. If international students are aware of these institutions, life at SeoulTech can be more stable. We conducted interviews to learn about the current use status of international students and the Human Rights Center's plan for international students.

 

Below is an interview with the current staff manager at the Human Rights Center.

Is the center prepared to provide service to international students?

Ⓐ As of now, we do not have designated staff to especially accommodate international students, but the center is willing to prepare an appropriate translator during all the procedures, including counseling sessions and investigations. We also plan to produce and distribute formal complaint forms and relevant information pamphlets translated in multiple languages.

 

Does the center have prior experience dealing with complaints from international students?

Ⓐ The Human Rights Center deals with various human rights complaints filed by all types of students. Due to privacy issues, we do not disclose any information collected in the process of filing complaints and conducting investigations. The center takes an extra caution when an international student is involved because of the possibility of exposure of identity. The types of past complaints filed by international students are not different from Korean students, and they include various human rights violations such as sexual abuse.

 

Does the center plan to open an English website?

Ⓐ We are planning a major overhaul to update Korean version website. After completing the update, new English version website for international students will be available.

The Human Rights Center is conducting antiviolence education on SeoulTech's e-class in English and Mandarin this semester, and we are also planning to open a project called 'BarrierFree Campus Contest' to improve the quality of campus life of international students. The center will continue to put our utmost effort into raising human rights awareness, prevent violations, and support victims. Please provide your kind attention to our future programs!

After completing the interview and looking around the center, it was clear that staffs were not only prepared for handling complaints according to the book, but also ready to embrace future victims of violence with compassion. The center shares the office with the university's Student Counselling Center, allowing the staff to effectively communicate and pool insights when providing service for victims. Their willingness and resources were impressive.

The SeoulTech Human Rights Center's strong institutional level protection and well-rounded mental health supports are available to all in our campus community. We strongly recommend our readers to use them, not only to help deal with a crisis, but also to prevent yourself from getting into one.



 

Reporters,

Yougyeong Yoon geannie0611@seoultech.ac.kr

Jinyoo Jonah Kim jinyookim1219@seoultech.ac.kr