By Holly Thompson
Students from a prominent public high school in Perth’s western suburbs have been reported for allegedly discussing plans to sexually assault females, and in some cases passing images of those girls and women around, while on the bus home.
A member of the community, who has remained anonymous, expressed their concern after hearing boys from Shenton College loudly discussing abusing females they knew, including fellow students and teachers, as well as strangers.
Students were wearing their school uniform while making the comments.Credit: Facebook
The Public Transport Authority confirmed it was made aware of the incident, and was working with the school and other relevant authorities.
The WA Department of Education did not directly confirm the group of boys had been reported over the comments and behaviour, but did say they would make every effort to identify any students involved.
The witness to the behaviour claimed the group had been behaving “incredibly disruptively almost all afternoons this school year” while on public transport, but that their behaviour had been escalating.
Last week, they said the students were passing around a mobile phone, “yelling about how they intend to sexually assault the individual in the photograph,” whom they said one boy then claimed was his sister.
“Please speak with your kids about this disgusting conduct and educate them on consent and sexual misconduct,” they said in a Facebook post.
“This is unacceptable and dangerous behaviour and if they were my children I would be horrified at the things they are saying. I have reported this to the school.”
They also claimed the school had told them it was requesting the CCTV footage from the bus to investigate further.
This masthead understands the school called in everyone who caught the bus service to question them over the allegations, and that those involved were identified on Wednesday.
Department of Education North Metropolitan Region regional director Cheryl Townsend said it was “disappointing to hear accounts of inappropriate behaviour by young people after they leave school for the day”.
“We encourage people to report these types of incidents to schools, Transperth and WA Police, if the behaviour is of a criminal nature,” she said.
Townsend did not respond to queries on what the next steps would be, or how to better educate students on the issue.
A Public Transport Authority spokesperson said students must behave in a way that ensured the comfort and safety of everyone on the bus.
“Misbehaviour, including being a nuisance and non-compliant or disruptive behaviour may result in a student being suspended from using the bus service,” they said.
Parenting educator Michelle Mitchell said what teenage boys said in front of their peers could be vastly different to their actual beliefs, and that often peer pressure and egos were involved in what was said during group discussions.
“While it’s awful to hear what happened, it’s important for those boys to be given a space to discuss that behaviour without being treated as monsters,” she said.
“Don’t fight fire with fire.”
Mitchell said parents, and the school, should provide a shame-free space to discuss what was said, but should do some “straight talking” to explain why it was wrong.
She said it was an important conversation to have with young people in general, including young girls, particularly given the prevalence of social media – something that became more of an issue “when people online are communicating with teenagers more than their parents”.
But she also said teenage boys were often stereotyped as being “run by hormones” and unable to think critically about what they were viewing or hearing from others.
“To quote my son: ‘I think Andrew Tate gets a lot of credit. Boys think on their own more than people believe’.
“Don’t talk down to them.”
Author of Raising Boys, The New Manhood Steve Biddulph said “hate-filled online influencers” were a problem, but they “simply step into the ground made fertile by the absence of better role models”.
“It starts with whose voices and attitudes we allow to be the loudest in our children’s lives,” he said.
“Teachers must be fearless around discussing these topics and interacting, not preaching but eliciting empathy by offering it in the first place.
“Attitude change is a deep shift; it needs adults the child trusts in long-term programs to handle the transition to healthy manhood and womanhood.”
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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