Street safety: Safe and secure in Port Moresby

-      Melissa Jones

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Port Moresby: Students from Jubilee Catholic Secondary school emphasised street safety in Port Moresby on “The Chat Room’ session on Tribe FM on Wednesday 24th April 2019.

 

The panel consisted of five year eleven students who spoke on street safety in Port Moresby. The students spoke on the negative effects and possible motives on how to address the issue. 

 

Miss Evelyn Sepa defined the issue of street harassment that people and mostly women experienced on the streets of Port Moresby. “I myself, personally do not feel safe on the streets” she said.  She said the pulling of billums has become a norm on the streets and it is a serious issue that needs to be resolved.

 

The second speaker, Jasper Hames spoke of the negativity of street harassment, that made people anxious, insecure and unsafe. “I was once robbed by a group of boys, they took all my belongings I had with me. I now fear leaving my house, which I shouldn’t,” he said.

 

Jasper said possible motives for street harassment could be peer pressure and broken homes that force youths to turn to harassment. He said people who practiced it feel powerful over their victims which is why they keep doing it.

 

Mr Phillip Anave, spoke on how to deal with street harassment and mentioned a number of laws and advocate groups that go against street harassment. 

He said citizen needed to:

1.     Take a stand 

2.     Report to the police

3.     Create more awareness and advocate through groups

 

The fourth speaker, Corina Alfred, said, reacting to harassers calmly and firmly but more importantly being smart and taking defensive measures can help a lot.  She said “strength come in numbers” and that the public needed to step in when necessary.

 

Theresa Pomat, concluded the topic by emphasizing that everybody needs to start making a change and stand up for what is right and speak out against street harassment.  “We cannot stand idle while someone is being harassed or humiliated, in public,” she said.

 

The operations supervisor of NCDC Market Division, Mr David Uki, also in attendance said people need to report the cases to the police and encouraged the public to work together to fight the issue. 

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