New security for NBC staff in PNG after assaults

Transcript

Staff at Papua New Guinea's national broadcaster say the assault on three female staff members has left the victims traumatised and other workers in shock.

Police say they have some leads in the case which involved a sexual attack on the women in a Port Moresby suburb as they were travelling home in company transport on Monday night.

The bus was held up by a group of armed men.

Acting chief of staff at NBC Television, Mulai Robby, told Sally Round new security measures were expected to come into effect on Wednesday night.

MULAI ROBBY: The feeling was something of a shock followed by sentiments (towards) those affected, who have been traumatised by the incident. So that's the feeling of the staff, and the reaction that followed was the call for the management to look at the welfare of the staff in this case the security of those working late and to be taken home. The message relayed to the management was the staff members wanted an escort provided and we're grateful that the management responded positively, that such arrangement of security or escort for those working late is to be provided as of tonight, I heard, and that the staff members are satisfied and were back at work today. They were back at work after the meeting yesterday.

SALLY ROUND: So they went out in protest did they?

MR: I wouldn't call it (that). It was a kind of gathering asking the management to come down and address the issue yesterday which they did and we were grateful. And including words of consolation from the NBC board as a whole and the Minister for Communications, all feeling the same - sorry for the incident that happened, although it was an isolated incident, out of the premises of the broadcaster. But it affected the staff and it went to the point where the staff called on the management to provide that service, security.

SR: And what sort of service is going to be provided?

MR: There'll be a security firm providing an escort to the destination, the drop-off of the staff members.

SR: And you say it was a one-off incident, but have staff members felt unsafe before given that they work late hours?

MR: What happened was, it never happened to us until yesterday or this week and it happened outside of our broadcast area. That's where the staff members live and they went to be dropped off. But the impact of it affected everybody else in terms of security.

SR: And how are those staff members that were assaulted. How are they at the moment?

MR: They're .. they're OK, meaning that physically it's OK but the affect to their being, their souls, they have been traumatised and they are going through medical attention plus counselling.

SR: How would you say things were there in terms of security in PNG for women journalists in particular?

MR: In our case this is our first time to experience this so I wouldn't say this is a general trend, far from it, but like I said earlier the impact of it, that's traumatised us all in that sense.