Kiwi website registers ‘bullying and abuse’ complaints of international students

CANTERBURY - Many international students in New Zealand, including Asians, have approached a Christchurch website with a number of ‘bullying and abuse’ complaints, and demanded that minorities to be protected in the country.

The site is run jointly by the police, the Christchurch City Council, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Canterbury and Lincoln universities and the Human Rights Commission, and allows students to report harassment against them by unscrupulous elements.

Since its origin in 2008, the website-report-it.org.nz has registered 93 reports of abuse, including 25 last year and 34 in 2009.

Stuff.co.nz quoted Canterbury policing development manager Inspector John Price as saying that the website has proved useful in identifying patterns of anti-social behaviour across the city. He also said that many complaints were from the Riccarton area.

“But, unfortunately, only a few of those have been followed up by us, because only a small percentage have asked for police assistance. “With the right information, we will follow complaints up. It’s abhorrent behaviour. Police have zero tolerance to any minority being targeted by others,” he added.

Students have reported assaults of two Asian students by a group of youths in a park. These unanimous students were later identified and taken to Asian liaison officer to discuss issues, the report said.

In another incident, a passenger in a passing car sprayed water on an Asian man. The police have reportedly caught the culprit an punished him after the Asian man launched a complaint, it added. (ANI)