Focus on social issues

MAINSTREAMING gender-based violence, family and sexual violence, human rights violation including sorcery-related killings and other cross-cutting issues in education and public policy is the way forward.
Cross-cutting issues involve the integration of a gender and human rights perspective into the preparation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, regulatory measures and budget – spending programmes – with a view to promoting equality between women and men and under the right to live of another person in combating the growing social upheaval.
The National Youth Development Authority is taking a lead in mainstreaming gender equality under its mission “empower young people with full potentials to innovate and compete globally securing and achieving holistic development desires contributing meaningfully towards national growth”.
While NYDA is mainstreaming gender equality under its own mandate that focuses only at the age group between 12 and 30, the government has to take this on in a holistic and structured approach as a development agenda.
It might require taking a whole new level that may include taking on board development partners.
Perhaps it is an opportune time to revisit the once successful Papua New Guinea-Australia Law and Justice Partnership programmes (PALJP).
Gender equality in corporate plans in all law and justice sector agencies and the family and sexual violence units in the police station across the country are some examples of gender mainstreaming through PALJP.
Similar programmes can be brought back including replicating successful cross-cutting issues mainstreaming models in the law and justice sector in other sectors.
Among others education is an important sector to start with.
It should begin with curriculum design, teachers training, lessons design and the whole works in the education system.

David Lepi