Enforce tougher laws for GBV cases

Letters

WITH the ongoing sick issues of gender-based violence (GBV) causing pain and deaths to our mothers and daughters, I urge the Government to enforce tougher GBV laws in Papua New Guinea.
With the continuous GBV reports, a very bad image of our country is portrayed.
The credibility of our justice system is being questioned.
It all weighs down to the reality of how our justice system have been dealing with a perpetrators.
Currently, there is a huge gap of injustice and inequality between the high-class and the low-class of people in PNG.
When someone in the high-class commits a crime, our justice system fails terribly in ensuring that he/she faces the full brunt of the law.
In contrast, when a low-class citizen commits the same crime, he is manhandled brutally in the public and remanded without any delay and consideration of his/her rights.
Our law enforcers must be reminded at all times that when apprehending a suspect or a perpetrator, a person remains innocent until proven guilty and he/she is not subjected to being physically or verbally assault.
Further, the Marriage Act should be amended to repel the payment of bride price as a legal means of recognising marriage.
Men seem to take advantage of the bride price payment and abuse their wives by viewing them as a paid robots to satisfy their needs whenever and however they want it.

Gobontas ‘601’