Call for more training

 By FAYE MIKA

MORE training should be given to reporters covering gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV/AIDS to help publicise issues, says an official.

Country director for Family Health International 360 Shiv Nair said this during a media luncheon in Port Moresby last week.

He said there were circumstances where stories published in the dailies  focused more on the incident and not on the survivors and that more should be done to dig out the reality behind GVB in the country.

“The media is a powerful tool in disseminating messages and events and we want to collaborate with you, the media, to address the issue of gender-based violence in PNG,” he said.

He said most of the time stories were published based on reports from the courts and police regarding punishment given to perpetrators and not enough information about the survivors and how they were affected.

He hoped that by training reporters, more investigative stories would be published which would eventually encourage the society and respective agencies to address the issue in a more positive way.

“What the country needs now is a change in the family sexual violence reform and to build more centres to house and help survivors of violence and HIV/AIDS,” he said.

He believed that by reporting on issues such as lack of basic family protection centres and poor reform system would force the government and relevant agencies to look into those areas.

The luncheon saw representatives from media companies discussing how they could best disseminate stories and information to the public.