A school in Linköping, Sweden, must pay 150,000 kronor in discrimination compensation after a teacher sent thousands of text messages to a student, which the Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) deemed sexual harassment. The messages began shortly after the student started secondary school and were discovered by the student's guardians, leading to the teacher immediately leaving the school. DO states that the texts were of a sexual nature and constitute sexual harassment, emphasizing that children need protection even if they did not perceive the behavior as unwanted.
The municipality has until April 8 to pay the compensation, or DO may file a lawsuit. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, and incidents involving school staff can be reported to both the police and DO, with different legal frameworks applying.