Safety of female students questioned in Liepāja residences
Kurzeme Television reports there have been threats of rape, a phone with a camera turned on has been found in the shared showers, and people are often intoxicated on the premises.
The hotel's manager, SIA "OAG Projekti", does not see any significant problems and claims that they can control everything, but in several cases the police have been called.
Two weeks ago, a girl who was taking a shower in the showers of the RTU Liepaja Academy student residence noticed a hidden phone with a camera turned on. When the woman screamed, the phone was removed, and then footsteps were heard, which fell silent in the shared hallway. After the incident, she contacted the State Police (VP).
Police spokesperson Madara Šeršnova said that police officers identified a man who was in the shower rooms at the time a woman was there, using video surveillance cameras installed in the hallways.
"The man denies filming and taking photos, but claims to have looked through the ventilation hole," Šeršnova added.
The State Police has initiated administrative violation proceedings against a man for sexual harassment – a relatively minor charge that falls short of full criminal liability.
The man is a guest worker in Liepāja and also stayed at the residence. The police have not applied any security measures related to deprivation of liberty to him at this time. Meanwhile, the university's student council is not satisfied with this, as there have been several other incidents at the residence.
"I also had a case when there were some men who were staying in the dormitories, as far as I understand, on the first floor, but they were under the influence of alcohol and made quite unpleasant comments to both me and other girls living in the dormitories, saying that they wanted to rape me," said Ērika Tropa, representative of the student council of the RTU Liepāja Academy.
The municipal police admit that these premises need to be visited relatively often.
"Mostly [the calls] have been about disturbing public order in these premises. These people who have disturbed public order are not only residents of this institution, but also outsiders, and they have most often been under the influence of alcohol," said Elva Lubāne, a representative of the Liepāja Municipal Police.
Out of control?
The hostel premises belong to the RTU Liepāja Academy, which in 2018 signed a 20-year contract with SIA "OAG projekti" to provide accommodation management services. The company initially declined to comment on the incidents, but eventually sent an email stating that all residents are being informed of the internal rules.
"Security at the hotel is ensured by monitoring compliance with internal regulations, observing fire safety requirements, and immediatel/y responding to any threat or violation. If necessary, the State Police is also involved," the company wrote.
The university administration has repeatedly tried to achieve a safer environment, but without much success.
"The Liepāja Academy of the Technical University has repeatedly drawn the tenant's attention to the need to provide a safe environment for students in this hostel. Unfortunately, our cooperation so far has not been very successful," confirmed Ieva Rācenāja, Deputy Vice-Rector for Studies at RTU. As stated above, the agreement has been in place since 2018 – eight years.
Although students of the RTU Liepaja Academy have repeatedly expressed concerns about their safety, the university's management is not planning to terminate the contract with the service provider for now. The only request is to separate students from other residents, as well as male and female sanitary facilities, within two weeks.
It is possible that some students will be offered places in other accommodation facilities. Other entrepreneurs are also being sought who are ready to offer safe and affordable housing for students.
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