Nossal students in fresh ‘sexually violent’ chat scandal
Male students at Nossal High have come under fire for “a never-ending cycle” of sexism after another vile social media chat group emerged.
Education
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Students at an elite secondary school in Melbourne’s southeast have again come under fire for degrading women in a new “sexually violent” social media group chat.
Male pupils at Berwick’s Nossal High School have been named and shamed by a female student at the centre of the disturbing messages, in which one male student said he would rape her.
The new claims levelled against current students at one of the state’s top selective schools come after Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil lashed the cohort for degrading young women in an Instagram chat when she was accidentally added to it by students at the same school in August last year.
Ms Thattil again named the exclusive school on social media, saying female students had thanked her for addressing the sexist attitudes exhibited by boys at the school in the wake of the first “vile and sexist” group chat that emerged.
“Absolutely disgusted and disappointed to see that students of Nossal High School are behind yet another misogynistic, sexist, sexually violent and transphobic group chat,” Ms Thattil said.
“I know how they (female students) feel because it’s what I needed when I was at high school 11 years ago and this disgusting behaviour was no different.
“After everything, we are seeing that some students learnt nothing.”
“The same attitudes that underpin a sh---y chat like this where boys express a desire to dominate, degrade and be sexually violent against women underpin physical abuse.”
A student who became the subject of a new chat created by Nossal students, said this was not the first time she had been sexualised by her male classmates.
“I have seen the sexualisation of women, homophobia, transphobia, and racism reverberating across so many boys I know,” she said.
“This has happened several times over the course of my time at my school and it seems to be a never-ending cycle,” she said.
“Imagine my shock to find out that this blatant objectification and harassment towards me was completely unwarranted and unprovoked, and was simply them conforming to their “friends’” opinions and views on me.
“By no means is it OK under any circumstance to talk about any person – let alone a woman – in this way.
Nossal principal Roger Page asked Ms Thattil to speak at the school last year when the first sexist chat emerged.
The second group chat emerged after Mr Page said the school had taken steps to address sexist attitudes displayed in Snapchat and Instagram messages that surfaced in the first group chat.
“It was a very disappointing episode for us and caused us to do some significant reflection about the sorts of manners and attitudes that investors were exhibiting,” he said.
“It’s triggered the opportunity for us to address it more directly and highlight and I get to address it a little more explicitly, so that we can then address it more effectively.”
Nossal has been contacted for comment.
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