This is one success story of a young girl who was subject to Sexually Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
Her case came through the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) program in a school last year, and she was assisted to a Meri safe Haus.
Towards the end of March this year, a 14-year old girl from the Highlands Region, was living with her guardians, in Lae. Her biological parents had separated, remarried, and live with their new families.
The teenager said she was physically abused by her male guardian. A male family friend had also sexually harassed her, and even attempted to rape her. This left her emotionally and psychologically traumatized.
On one attempted rape incident the teenager had raised it with her male guardian but he had laughed it off saying, “Maski giaman, em ol frens yah (Stop lying, he is a friend).”
The young girl said she was able to get help because the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) program, run by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), was rolled out in her school.
An IPPF case worker attended to the teenager.
The case worker reported that the teenager refused to return home and requested to stay in a safe house. The process of finding a safe house took a while because of COVID. Sadly there was no safe house to take her in. But he continued to push for help until an organisation was able to take the teenager in.
The teenager said, “I am grateful for how far I have come in my case with the help of these wonderful individuals and the agency they work for, because being placed in a safe house is the first positive step in the right and safe direction. I asked to be transferred to a school near the safe house, thanks to the IPPF team under PNG Family Health Association. I truly want to successfully complete my education and aim for something better in life.”
Her case is still pending.
(The young girl’s name and identity is being withheld because she is under aged.)