In August, Dutch Artist, Pim V., who has been a teacher at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK) for almost 32 years, was accused of secretly taking pictures of women from under tables.
The teacher’s misconduct was disclosed when he was caught taking photos of a woman changing in a store’s fitting room in Utrecht.
That woman filed a police report, and because of this, the police found hundreds of compromising pictures of women on V.’s phone, including female students at the KABK.
Crimes exposed? It’s time to confess
According to the director of KABK, Ranti Tjan, no one realised that the teacher had been secretly taking photos of girls from under desks for years.
When two detectives showed up at V.’s office in The Hague, it came as a total surprise to faculty members and students alike.
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V. confessed to all his wrongdoings in a meeting with Tjan, where he stated that he didn’t take any pictures of minors, teachers, and men. (How convenient. 🙄) He also promised to go to therapy.
The teacher now faces a court trial, where he’s being prosecuted for his offensive sexual advances and has reportedly been fired from his job at the school.
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“The name of the teacher can therefore no longer be found on the website of the academy. The students that Pim V. supervised will be taken over by another teacher”, Tjan tells the NRC.
Scandal after scandal
This isn’t the first time that teachers from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague were accused of sexually harassing female students.
In October 2020, another professor at the school was called out for allegedly inviting young female students to his place after art gallery openings, amongst other problematic behaviour.
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One of his colleagues was also said to have made sexual remarks about the way female students dressed at the school. Since then, both professors have been suspended from their jobs.
Similarly, there was an incident involving ex-KABK artist, Julian Andeweg, who was accused of domestic violence, rape, and stalking by at least 20 men and women, writes the NOS.
Trying to do better
Tjan, who’s a fairly new director of the KABK, is well aware of the bad reputation the school has acquired due to these allegations. However, he aims to make changes that will better the lives of female students.
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“Good steps have already been taken recently: we have study coaches, and a new code of conduct, and the students are once again more strongly represented. This academy has resilience and a lot of talent. We are going to show that”, he tells the NRC.
What do you think about KABK’s newest scandal? Tell us in the comments below!