A Secretariat to administer the national strategy on gender-based violence will be established at a cost of K2.5 million.
The ‘National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence 2016-2025’ was endorsed by the National Executive Council on December 15 and will be launched in February 2017.
Secretary for Community Development, Anna Solomon, said the initial request for funding of the strategy is for K2.5 million to establish the Secretariat.
The strategy is a 10-year plan and the budget request for that period is about K112 million.
The strategy aims to strengthen the work on GBV in order to achieve zero-tolerance towards GBV by 2025 and as per PNG Vision 2050.
Solomon said the Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion has reorganised and reclassified particular positions that were vacant.
The department has positions that will be advertised in the media where people can apply to be in the Secretariat.
Solomon said: “We want good and qualified people to help coordinate GBV strategy in the country.
“When you coordinate better, you will be able to access the improvements of GBV that are happening in the country.
“We currently don’t have proper data to justify whether it’s increasing or decreasing,” she said.
“We see it happen and we have allowed an outcry, which is good but it doesn’t help our purpose of measurements towards accessing GBV.”
The strategy aims to standardise data collection and facilitate ongoing in-depth research to support evidence-based planning, budgeting and programing to end GBV.
It was established to ensure quality, continuity and sustainability of coordinated responses, referrals and service delivery for survivors of GBV.