ENB opens family, sexual violence unit

THE opening of a family and sexual violence unit in East New Britain will help protect the family unit from all types of violence, says Kokopo magistrate Regget Marum.
At the opening of the unit at the Kokopo police station, he said family violence should not only be limited to criminal violence but extended to all form of social violence and their effect on individuals and the communal structure of the family in our societies.
“Family violence is a widespread problem but the actual extent is difficult to accurately measure with data based on official reports such as police or hospital records, which have a tendency to underestimate the extent of violence and abuse because much violence is never reported,” he said.
Sexual violence is  a very wide area to address and one part of this is pornography information and material on mobile phones used by people.
He said police had brought some cases to court.
The unit was set up by ENB police boss Sylvester Kalaut with the support of the NGO groups and stakeholders in the law and justice sector.
Kalaut said the establishment of the unit was part of the provincial plan for ENB and the corporate plan of the constabulary.
“It is also consistent with the former Commissioner of Police’s instruction to the constabulary in 2009 that police improved the way it dealt with complaints of family and sexual violence,” he said.
“Women and community groups in ENB had been demanding for such an office to be established and we are pleased to deliver this essential service to the people.”
The unit will deal with the increasing number of complaints on sexual violence received by police in the province.
It is the seventh unit to be established in PNG by the constabulary.
Port Moresby-based Family and Sexual violence coordinator Chief Insp David Kila said the unit would assist victims and their families by taking their statements and investigating allegations of violence.
The unit would also assist them in getting interim protection orders from the courts to stop violence in the family or community. The unit also received a support vehicle.