Gender-based violence (GBV) hinders the full potential of women in Papua New Guinea, says National Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop.
Parkop, a strong advocator of eliminating GBV in PNG, says the country could do more on unleashing the potential of women in PNG.
Parkop highlighted that there might be all other reasons but the main reason hindering the potential of women is GBV.
He said that despite all the laws that are in place, the potential for women working alongside men to be equal partners in the development sector, private and public sector is yet to be realised.
“For too long we have been living in denial and we haven’t acknowledged GBV as a social illness, categorising it as domestic violence, a family issue and as a police matter.
“We must stop this mindset and acknowledge that this is not just a human rights issue or gender issue but a development issue,” Parkop said.
NCD has taken the lead in addressing GBV by working with the Family and Sexual Violence Committee (FSVC) to help survivors of GBV.