The Hot Clube de Portugal (HCP) set up an internal commission of inquiry to “investigate situations that may have occurred” of abuse or harassment involving people connected to the institution, it announced this Friday in a statement.
Since last week, through the sharing of statements on social media, reports of cases of rape, sexual abuse and harassment in the artistic world, especially in the area of music, especially jazz, have been made public.
The case was triggered by a young woman’s complaint against a jazz pianist, who previously taught at the Hot Clube. The musician refuted the accusations and claimed “complete innocence”.
Last week, the HCP management clarified that the pianist stopped teaching at the school in the 2022/23 academic year and that the case reported was not related to the institution.
At the time, Hot Clube also revealed that it had already identified “two situations of harassment” in the 2021/22 school year, which led to “the removal of the teachers in question”, and that “a Code of Conduct for the school community” was created , as well as a Student Support Office and a Reporting Channel”. The school management also said it was not aware of any ongoing complaints or reports, “being available to act immediately in accordance with the information that arrives.”
This Friday, the management of the HCP announced, in a statement, that “in view of other news that has been published, it was decided to set up a Commission to investigate any situations that may have occurred in the context of the facts reported”.
Speaking to Lusa, the president of HCP, Pedro Moreira, said that the internal commission of inquiry, made up mostly of women, aims to “find as many facts as possible about cases, current or past, with connection to the universe of Hot Clube”.
In other words, complaints involving current or former teachers and students at the jazz school.
The commission begins work “soon”.
“All necessary consequences will be taken as a result of the conclusions of the aforementioned Commission, Hot Clube reiterating its full availability to collaborate with the competent authorities”, says the statement.
In the reports of harassment, abuse, rape and aggression, shared over the last week, 27 people from the artistic world have already been identified, the vast majority from the music sector.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
