Gazelle women fed up with abuses by men

WOMEN in East New Britain province are fed up with the on-going sexual abuses and violence committed against them and took to the streets last Saturday to show their grievances and pleas for such acts to stop.
As early as 8am, more than 200 women of Navunaram community in central Gazelle began marching at Tomaringa Police Barracks to the Navunaram Primary School in a peaceful protest march to show their male counterparts they were tired and fed up with drug, alcohol and verbal abuses against them.
The women have challenged the Government and the judiciary system to introduce heavier penalties against the offences.
They are calling for tougher laws against people who use foul language to downgrade the status of women especially when under the influence of liquor and drug.
This challenge is contained in a number of demands contained in a petition that was put to the ENB provincial government, law enforcement agencies and the village court system by the women in their public protest against the increasing use of abusive language and violence against women.
In their petition, the women want tougher laws against swearing and obscenities against women, in particular, the use of women’s private parts, tougher penalties against drug and abuse of alcohol in public and increasing use of abusive and swearing against the women which they claimed had become an unaccepted phrase often used by drunken men in public places.
The petition was presented to the acting Deputy Governor, Rev Amos Niba, who assured the women he would take up the issue with the provincial government and relevant agencies for consideration.
Meanwhile, the Navunaram women, led by former Community Development executive officer Beddie Jubilee, announced that plans were underway for a women’s desk to be established to cater for the interest of women in the Gazelle district.