Student assaulted in UWI bathroom

Astudent at The University of the West Indies (UWI) was sexually assaulted in a restroom on the Mona campus last week.

The university said that the incident, which occurred in the vicinity of the Annex and Senate buildings, was immediately reported to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and a team was deployed to the campus to investigate.

“The UWI Mona campus takes this matter very seriously and is providing all the relevant assistance to the police to apprehend the perpetrator,” the university said in a media release yesterday.

Professor Ian Boxill, deputy principal of the Mona campus, said the university is also providing support to the student.

“Since the occurrence of the incident, the campus has taken steps to provide all the necessary psychosocial support that is critical at this time. We have reached out to the family of the student and will continue to dialogue, as we continue to support our student in this difficult time,” Boxhill said.

In the meantime, some restrooms at the university, which are deemed to be located in extremely remote areas, have been closed until further notice.

In addition, persons found loitering on the campus are set to face greater levels of interrogation by the security team. The UWI also said that plans are under way to expedite the installation of additional surveillance cameras and panic alarms in more areas on the campus.