Gender Based Violence

Thirty participants came from the five districts of Kandep, Kompiam-Ambum, Lagaip-Pogera, Wapenamanda and Wabag. They represented church and community leaders, village court magistrates and officers, police (FSVU, CID), women’s association, welfare protection officer and the provincial director from Department of Community, Development, Youth and Religion. 

Jerom Kendino is a case manager and counsellor at Lifeline PNG in Port Moresby. The organisation has provided a temporary safehouse for thousands of survivors of gender-based violence since 1973.

Jerom joined the organisation in 2019 as a monitoring and evaluation officer and completed an Australia Awards Short Course in counselling because the organisation was under-staffed.

Although he has a degree in social work from the University of Papua New Guinea, dealing with more than 50 cases of GBV each week made him say that counselling is a discipline of its own.

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.

Child protection officers and volunteers and other informal service providers offering case management services will use Primero as a tool to manage cases of violence, abuse, neglect of women and children. With the system they will be able to collect, store, analyse and share protection-related data that can be used for planning, budgeting and advocacy.

The two-day session aimed at understanding the challenges faced by survivors and service providers, identify gaps in the system and presenting recommendations to the Parliament.

One of the priority areas was to investigate the roadblocks behind the funding and implementation of the 2016-2025 National GBV Strategy.

The seven-member Committee summoned various stakeholders including the Minister of Community Development, Youth and Religion, Minister for Police, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, Office of Public Prosecutor, Public Solicitor’s Office, NGOs and Churches.

https://www.facebook.com/looppng/videos/381823513164261 

Minister Goi expressed disappointment that citizens and law imposers have not been seriously implementing laws that are already in place to prevent Gender and Family Violence

“The government has already made some laws to protect women and families from all forms of violence, The Act of Violence Against Women, or Wife Bash it’s a criminal act in itself. Over several years department has introduced another Act which is the Lukautim Pikinini Act as we know.

This was the cry of the women who marched today in Port Moresby to end violence in the country.

The event saw the participation of both the Minister for Police, Jelta Wong, and the Minister for Religion, Youth & Community Development, Soroi Eoe.

This gave a good opportunity for the women to express their worries.

Eoe pledged his support to ending this issue. He also called for tougher penalties for perpetrators of violence.

This is the theme for the 2017 Media Awards on Excellence in Reporting on Gender Based Violence and HIV/and or AIDS.

Once more, nominations have opened to recognise efforts of journalists reporting on these issues, giving voice to the voiceless in order to bring about meaningful change.

UNAIDS and UN Women joint launched these media awards in 2015.

It was put as an incentive to encourage journalists to increase their reporting on the issues with a human rights lens.

These issues have disintegrated family units, societies and the nation as a whole.

The case of grievous bodily harm against Alma Jagiri (33), Bernard Jagiri (29) of Tufi, was committed to the Waigani National Court for trial.

They will go for listing before the National Court at the end of the month.

Their younger brother, a 17-year-old was also implicated in the allegations, however his case was dismissed from the Juvenile court.

Both went appeared before Magistrate Mekeo Gauli asking for the case against them to be struck out too however he said the evidence against Bernard showed that he was very much involved in the fight too.