Students demand respect

By LORRAINE JIMAL
FEMALE students of the University of PNG have demanded an end to sexual, verbal and physical harassment on campus. They staged a protest yesterday led by Student Representative Council vice-president Nancy Paglau who called on the university council to address the issue immediately. “We (have) faced this problems (for years) and our voices must be heard this time,” Paglau said. She demanded that female students be shown respect and be looked after as “sisters, daughters in the community”. She said their own families and relatives looked up to them as their “heroes and champions”. “Many females don’t make it through and those who have come this far must be respected and cared for as the pride of their families.” She demands that the university council deals with the matter right away. Vice-Chancellor Prof Frank Griffin said the matter was now with the university council and that he could not comment on it further.
Paglau thanked those who supported yesterday’s protest and hoped the issue was effectively dealt with so that girls entering the prestigious place of learning would feel safe and comfortable to pursue their studies.