It was on Wednesday to Juan Carlos Monedero on his teaching activity until again notice as a result of the complaint for sexual harassment presented by a student against him at the university. This has been communicated by the UCM in a press release on its website. “Given the logical concern between the students of our Faculty, formally expressed by the Student Delegation to this Deanery, and transferred by us to the UCM rector, we report the following: Professor Juan Carlos Monedero will not teach the classes of ‘Contemporary political theory’ in the double degree of law and political sciences and ‘theory and practice of democracies’ in the degree of international relations until new notice. “
University sources indicate that “it is a measure that takes the power so that academic activity in these groups can be developed normally in the coming weeks.” The Faculty has added in the statement that is looking for “a substitute person” to give the subjects and that the groups of students will be “duly informed.”
This news comes a week after the media And they uncovered that Podemos received in 2023 two complaints of several militants who warned that the teacher and founder of the training had had qualified behaviors as “sexual violence” against them. that gives credibility to the victim who denounced the professor and who is currently waiting for the service inspection to evaluate the reports presented on the accusation and make a decision: transfer the complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office, impose a temporary sanction to the defendant or file the case.
On the opening of this file, the Faculty has underlined in its note that the procedure “demands the absolute confidentiality” and the information it manages is reserved. “The resolution of this file is legal competence and responsibility of the Rectorate of the UCM, and not of this faculty. Although this is a situation that generates a great restlessness, the community of the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology (Deanato, Student, Cloister, Personal and Collectives of Feminist Support and in the face of macho violence) is reaffirmed in the commitment and unity for unity for Generate a safe academic coexistence environment, free of sexist violence and that guarantees equal opportunities, ”appear in the document.
The anti -abuse regulations of the Complutense, published on its website under the name of Protocol of action against sexual and/or sexist harassmentindicates that victims of sexual harassment must “always” be addressed to the Unit of Equality, the university body responsible for managing complaints. Those affected can do so in person at the request of a previous appointment, writing an email or filling a form. “Anonymous complaints will not be admitted, or complaints that do not appear with the autograph or digital firm of the affected person,” appears in the document. However, the protocol contemplates that the victim who does not want to denounce “can alert the unit of equality that there is a situation of harassment” to “have proof of this and consider the appropriate measures.”
The equality unit sends the complaints “with an alphanumeric code to protect the privacy of victims” to the Technical and Guarantee Commission. This commission has a period of 48 business hours to meet and assess whether it commission an external technical report to one or two experts in the subject. If you do not consider it necessary, you must issue a report with the results of that previous investigation within five days and refer it to the rector’s delegate for equality, Isabel Tajahuerce. In that document, it will include recommendations, such as archiving the case, “as long as there have been no indicated acts constituting crime”, derive the matter to services psychological or psychosocial care or send the complaint to inspection of services, so that the inquiries and investments continue Establish the measures to be executed.
It should be noted that the universities of equality of universities, which manage complaints, do not have the power to sanction abusers and stalkers. They are only allowed to collect complaints, refer them to the Technical Commission and send the file, then to the case services. Among their functions is also the accompaniment to the victims, to legally advise them and offer them psychological support, and ensure that, among other issues, the protocols for action are met.
The first accusation against purse was set by the complainant on September 12, 2023 through a mail to the Secretariat of Feminisms. The author said that the expolitic was dedicated to “handling and bothering young women in party environments” and that this behavior was also known on the UCM Somosaguas campus where he taught. We can activated its protocol and the letter was forwarded to the guarantees commission, which in turn offered the complainant a confidential route to initiate an internal investigation process, but, according to the training, did not obtain an answer. The second complaint was transmitted directly through members of the Directorate of Podemos. In it, the complainant asked Podemos to withdraw a purse from any organic activity.
Formation sources said last week when the scandal that “acted from the first minute and took Juan Carlos Monedero from the activity of the party at the time when he had knowledge of testimonies of sexual violence, in September of 2023 ″. But it was not completely like that. The professor of the Complutense continued to intervene in a WhatsApp chat of the State Citizen Council (CCE), the expanded management body of the party where the decisions of the dome of Podemos are discussed, as published. The political group admitted Monday at a press conference that Monedero followed in the CCE chat and intervened, but had no vote by not being a member of said Council.
The Secretary of Organization and Coportovoz of the Party, Pablo Fernández,. “There was no resolution that suspended it from militancy,” said Fernández, who again defended the refusal of the party to launch an internal investigation when he knew the complaints with the aim of “guaranteeing” and “respecting” “confidentiality, the anonymity and the discretion requested by the complainants ”, which is to them to which it was necessary The anti -abuse action protocol published by Podemos.
