Outrage is growing over a disturbing video of a woman being heckled and assaulted by a jeering mob of men as she walked through the grounds of a university in Papua New Guinea late at night.
Viral video showed the woman covering her ears as she was pursued by dozens of leering men through the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae – the country’s second largest city.
Local media claimed the woman was being escorted off the grounds by two university security guards, but a two-minute video showed her being jeered at and assaulted by a mob of men.
At one point she tried to fight them off as they swarmed and taunted her.
The woman tried to cover her ears before she was then hit on the back by what appeared to be an egg.
The clip sparked a furious backlash on local social media, prompting the Unitech Chancellor, Sam Koim to condemn the ‘animalistic behaviour’.
‘The behaviour displayed is unacceptable and has no place in our university,’ he said.
‘At Unitech, we strive for academic excellence and to produce young, civilised men and women who will contribute positively to society. Animalistic and mob behaviour has no place here.’
Mr Koim said the university had launched an investigation.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ora Renagi, also ‘strongly condemn(ed) the behaviour and actions of the students’.
‘The video showing a young woman being harassed by a group of students on our campus is deeply disturbing,’ he said in a statement.
‘Let me be clear: mob behaviour is unacceptable, harassment is a crime and such actions will not be tolerated.’
Prof Renagi said a full investigation had been launched into the incident and people identified in the video would face disciplinary or legal action.
It comes as Papua New Guinea is due to mark the 50th anniversary of its independence next month.
But the country, which sits just 150km from mainland in the Pacific Ocean, is riven by some of the world’s highest rates of violence against women.
The n government has provided an estimated $3.1billion in aid and loans to Papua New Guinea since 2020, according to figures from the Official Development Assistance.
This includes a $600million, 10-year deal to fund a rugby league side based in Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby.
‘Rugby league is PNG’s national sport and PNG deserved a national team, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last December during a meeting with PNG President James Marape.
‘The new team will belong to the people of PNG. It will call Port Moresby home.
‘It will have millions of proud fans barracking for it for day one. Not just in PNG but I suspect many ns will adopt the PNG team.’