Family Sexual Violence Units challenged

WHILE a lot has been put into fighting the domestic and family violence epidemic in the country, it does not help when those tasked to assist do not do their part.
When compared to previous years, the support from all stakeholders including police has improved and this must continue. And there is still much room for improvement.
One common concern expressed has been on the support from police officers, police stations or from those at the established Family Sexual Violence Units (FSVU).
Based at police stations, the FSVUs is supposed to provide dedicated police services for survivors of violence, and also support coordination between other local services.
The negative police culture among some officers who considered family and domestic violence to be ‘just a domestic’ must be corrected.
Such attitudes have led some victims or those seeking help to feel blamed and judged and that should not be the case.
Efforts made to making the various systems and network available to victims must be harnessed for a positive outcome.
Observations show that police were sometimes slow, or even failed, to attend to reports of domestic violence.
When police finally turned up, they appeared unsupportive, confused about the corrective procedure, or unwilling to take action.
Such attitudes are pushing vulnerable people back into dangerous and potentially deadly situations, while allowing the perpetrators to escape justice.
Going back to the FSVU, the first unit was established in 2009, in Boroko, Port Moresby.
Since then, 18 FSVUs have opened throughout the country, and more than 40,000 survivors have accessed services through those facilities.
Cardno, the company that manages the Australian Government law and justice programmes in PNG, says that in 2014; 11,272 (mostly female) survivors of violence received services – up 20 per cent from 2013.
Strengthening linkages between all service providers, including FSVUs, in various locations is a priority of JSS4D (Justice Services and Stability for Development Programme).
The programme focuses on increasing survivors’ access to law and justice services; and strengthening referral pathways to medical, psychosocial, protection and other essential services.
One thing for sure is that the legislations, rules and process on matters relating to gender-based violence have been amended and are user friendly in terms of taking matters to courts.
The courts and police have improved on the system on reporting and protecting victims of gender based violence.
The challenge now is to empower police officers so they give the needed attention when cases are reported.
And that those cases actually go right to the courts with sufficient evidence so the perpetrators are punished. There has been instances where victims have withdrawn their charges because they were not getting the support they needed, despite being vulnerable to further attacks.
Training is urgently needed to make police more aware and more effective when responding to domestic violence. They need more resources, better awareness, and increased training.
In spite of any negative attention the police have received, there is good practice out there. When managed well, the coordinated community response multi-agency approach can really make a difference.
Expert consensus suggests that empowerment is the most effective approach to provide necessary services to victims.