Male advocacy key to addressing violence

THIS letter is in response to the opinions expressed by Gerard Saleu and PNG Man published in The National on Oct 10 and published by PNG Man on Oct 20, on both daily papers.
We believe PNG Man and Gerard Saleu are one and the same person.
The writer of both letters was a participant at the recent male advocacy training by Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council’s family and sexual violence action committee held in Goroka from Sept 28 to Oct 2.
We respect his views both as a professional and a person with respectable academic standing.
We acknowledge his commitment and contributions to supporting communities.
We respect his right to air his views through the media.
While we cannot pinpoint exactly on which grounds he has made the adamant and disconcerting remarks against the council, the assumptions made based on his understanding of the male advocacy programme for women’s human rights and what it aims to achieve, are quite disappointing.
Rather than constructively critiquing our programme through channels provided to our participants, he chose to come out in the media.
Perhaps the writer has not grasped in full the rationale behind the male advocacy programme for women’s human rights and its focus to attaining social transformation and inclusion under the global tag of gender equality.
This falls in line with the council’s overall vision of ‘building pathways to peaceful homes, safe societies and happy families”, which is clearly aligned to the international and national development goals and the vision 2050.
The male advocacy programme has been identified under spotlight initiative as gender-based violence’s primary prevention strategy focusing on engaging men as allies towards advancing work of gender equality in Papua New Guinea, with a specific focus on women’s experience of violence.
A survey conducted on gender-based violence’s cost to business in PNG revealed that 41 per cent of men in PNG admitted to perpetrating violence against women, over 2/3 of women admitted to having experience some form of violence in their lifetime and it is reported that 7.7 per cent of men admitted having perpetrated male rape and 73 per cent of women survivors of violence in PNG seek assistance but majority go through informal structures.
Globally and nationally, the focus is on achieving the development goals under gender equality.
The family and sexual violence action committee’s alignment to the sustainable development goals to transform our world is based on three thematic goal areas: gender equality (5), reduced inequality, and partnerships for the goals (17).
Further to this, as a signatory to the charter of the United Nations, PNG as a country has international and national commitments on human rights to fulfil. Saleu in his letter questioned the role, integrity and standing of the council and its development initiative including various empowerment programs that took many years of commitment and work towards enhancement of national response and prevention to family and sexual violence or gender-based violence.
There are no hidden or foreign agendas as most of our capacity building programmes have been developed after wider consultations and review with national stakeholders.
The writer should know as he has been part of these national consultations through the development forums.
Nevertheless, we note his comments and feel obliged to correct the misunderstandings.
Male advocacy for women’s human rights’ does not talk about changing or reversing sexes of men and women or girls and boys.
It is about understanding the roles of men and women traditionally and how that has shifted due to modernisation and so expectations and responsibilities have changed.
Society has evolved and so has the violence that is perpetrated against women and children including men.
Male advocacy is part of a primary prevention overall strategy that has been developed after years of hard work by women leaders and male counterparts in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea to find the best solution suited to our time, culture and context.
It looks at changing the negative perceptions society has on women and challenges the existing conditions and norms or belief systems that propagate harmful and unequal practices which allows men, women or even the community to use their strength and power to abuse women and children or the vulnerable.
Sorcery accusation related violence is a prevalent harmful practice due to belief system we have on sorcery and witchcraft.
We have never mentioned anywhere in our programmes that all men are perpetrators.
Some men and boys experience violence from other men and so male advocacy is focused on ways we can effectively engage men who are already doing work in the communities, to help them identify and have deeper understanding of the societal or cultural norms, the systemic beliefs and practices that perpetuate violence and discrimination.
The council, through the family and sexual violence action committee has been a voice with action to support women and children and other marginalised people in society such as people with disability, those living with HIV/AIDS and other disadvantaged or marginalised groups.
We took notice and ownership to addressing the plight of women and children suffering from violence after seeing that access to care, support and justice for survivors was missing resulting in many women and children suffering.
The council thanks our esteemed partners and stakeholders who stand fully committed to the betterment of our people and value their contributions to finding lasting solutions to our everyday human rights issues over the years.
Without this very crucial support, we would not have support services where women survivors, men and children including families can now seek protection and legal services and women and girls, including boys are now more aware of their human rights.
The Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council was established by the the Government in 1998 by a National Executive Council decision (NEC decision 46/98).
In 2000 it set up the family and sexual violence action committee as one of its sectorial committees and gave it its mandate to work towards minimising the risks associated with the occurrence and suffering caused by physical, sexual and psychological violence especially within the home environment and within family circles.
That is being actively pursued today focusing on finding solutions to our gender-based violence issues.
While our ultimate goal through the male advocates programme is to get community advocates to form strong allies with women activists and women organisations to address the issues of violence and establish common understanding for peace and justice, we are saddened by the fact that we now have an advocate who is determined to discredit the work of male advocates.

CIMC-FSVAC
Setting Course for Justice & Peace