Police to investigate handling of case

The National Main Stories

POLICE Commissioner David Manning has ordered an investigation into the police handling of Jenelyn Kennedy’s case leading up to her death.
Manning said it appeared from initial reports that Jenelyn was allegedly living in an abusive relationship with her partner Bosip Kaiwi for over two years.
“What did the authorities, especially police do to protect her? Why weren’t interventions made at various stages of this abusive relationship? Where were family members when Janelyn was tortured during the last five days of her life?” he said.
“These are questions that need to be answered. Weaknesses within our systems, be it with the police, legal, welfare or courts need to be identified now and changed or removed to ensure that our women are better protected from such violence,” Manning said.
Manning was provided a brief yesterday by the Family and Sexual Violence Unit (FSVU) of what transpired in the three months prior to Jenelyn’s death:

Families of victims told to unite

By REBECCA KUKU and BOURA GORUKILA
THE family of the late Jenelyn Kennedy has urged the families of other young women killed by their partners to join hands in demanding “action” from the Government.
Family spokeswoman Elizabeth Loco Bradshaw called on the Laufa family, Gavera family and others who had lost their loved ones through gender-based violence to form a united front.
“Enough of statements condemning such violent actions. Let us all stand together and demand for action now,” she said.
“We have prayed, we have condemned, we have petitioned and we have called for the violence to be stopped. Now, we must demand for action so that we can get justice not only for Jenelyn but for all the other past cases too.”
Meanwhile, a peaceful march from the Unagi Oval to Parliament is being organised by the Kennedy family for Thursday.
Bradshaw also thanked the media for highlighting gender-based violence and violence against women in the country.
She said the media had been informing people about what some women and girls had been subjected to and going through “behind closed doors”.
She said gender-based violence was “no longer a family issue but a national issue”.
Jenelyn, 19, whose father was from Australia and mother from Gulf died from “blunt force trauma to the head and the body with a blunt instrument or object.”
Her body was left at the hospital last Tuesday by three men who arrived in a vehicle.

Laws on gender-based violence needs to be enforced

Anna Kavana Bais

By REBECCA KUKU
THE country already has laws to protect women and children against violence which must be enforced, says Community Development, Youth and Religion Secretary Anna Kavana Bais.
“Those dealing with enforcement must be held accountable for incompetency. We are talking about the lives of our women and children and families for that matter,” she said.
She said the national prevention and response to gender-based violence plan must be prioritised by the Government and properly funded.
“An issue is made a priority when it is resourced and funded well. That is not the case with the national gender-based violence strategy,” she said. Bais condemned the way Jenelyn Kennedy died last Tuesday in Port Moresby after alleged beatings at home and said the department would not tolerate any form of violence perpetrated against women. She said acts of violence and discrimination against women must stop.
“(They are) becoming so serious to the point of grievous bodily harm, torture and death,” she said.
“Abuse in any way shape or form is illegal. Our women and families are already protected by laws that are not properly enforced.
“Over the years, the department introduced the Lukautim Pikinini Act, the Family Protection Act, and National Prevention and Response to Gender Base Violence – in the hope of protecting women, children and families,” she said.
Jenelyn’s aunt Elizabeth Lolo Bradshaw agreed that the country already had laws in place which must be enforced.
“We need to establish who the enforcers are and hold them accountable,” she said.
Jenelyn endured five years in an “abusive marriage” despite seeking help from the Police Family Sexual Violence and hiding at women’s safe houses in Port Moresby.
Bradshaw said public confidence in police must also be revived.

O’Neill: Plan is already there to address domestic violence

Peter O’Neill

IALIBU-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill says Cabinet had already approved a plan to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
In a statement yesterday, O’Neill said violence against women and girls was “a massive problem that crosses cultural and national boundaries, that was not limited to one age group, or to the illiterate or educated, or to rich or poor people”.
O’Neill said the country needed laws “so that violent abusers are put away for good”, and people “who help violent men to cover up their crimes are charged and jailed”.
“In my view, the friends and family of the man charged with the murder of Jenelyn Kennedy, who stood by and did nothing while she was being abused, should also be charged.”
He said leaders must work much harder to bring about protections and reforms to stop violence against women and girls, and to lock up men who use violence and people who help them cover up their crimes.
“Our mothers, daughters and sisters, and all girls and women in our communities, need new approaches to ensure their protection,” O’Neill said.
The Department for Community Development, Youth and Religion already has the national strategy to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
“So there should be nothing to prevent the Government from resuming activities under this strategy,” he said.

Lack of funding causing delay

A LACK of funding has been blamed for the non-implementation of the gender-based violence strategy approved by the National Executive Council in 2016, according Community Development Youth and Religion Minister Wake Goi.
Goi said funding was needed to set up a secretariat to provide coordination and oversight over violence issues.
Goi said law enforcement agencies such as the police must ensure perpetrators be appropriately punished.
“At this moment we are doing what we can to address gender-based violence and I’m appealing to the law enforcement agencies to stop this demonic act which is taking away innocent lives,” Goi said.
“Gender-based violence is created by human beings and it is the people who can fix it, instead of pointing fingers here and there.
“I want those involved to face tougher laws that can become a lesson to others,” Goi said.
“If we don’t do it now, who else will come and do it?
“It can happen to our daughters or mothers next time.
“I’m appealing to police to do their job without any fear or favour.”

17 comments

  • Thanks ROJA, people making the law are the ones breaking the law so how will………………

  • The 5 men & the house girl who were there during the beatings that took place during the period of over 5 days & didn’t contact families, authorities or even try to stop the beatings & didn’t speak until her death to come out & speak is a disgrace. They should be held responsible for her death too.

  • Meri brukim marit bai man paitim na kilim em na man brukim marit bai meri mekim wanem?
    Our laws should be revised again, especially Polygamy in PNG.

  • GBV comes and starts in all forms and not just Physical….the victims may be either the man or the woman and/or children… its time we say no to all forms or violence and speak up about it at all levels

  • This is a very sad case which I for one could not accept. While reading this I silently shed tears, I was wondering whether the suspect ( Hubby) has sisters and mother to worry about. I also thought of our young girls about their future as well.

    My advice to male counterpart is that if this is going on with your wife or girl friend, don’t ever try to become violent and kill the woman because at the end of the day the law will definitely catch up with you. The simplest thing to do to avoid it is just divorced the woman and you’re free man that’s for married Couples. For those who are in relationship, just break up, there are many woman out there instead of getting yourself tangled up with the law.

    Now for this very particular suspect, the Husband of late Jenelyn Kennedy, now you will face the full force of the law by way of serving long term in jail or by way of death penalty. If only you decide to divorce her and have nothing to do with her life, you should have been a free man if you thought otherwise

  • Laws are there to protect woman and girls of all ages however, there is no policy in place to guide the Acts or laws for implementation. policies are legal framework that will successfully drive the implementation and enforcement of laws.

  • Laws are there to protect woman and girls of all ages however, there is no policy in place to guide the Acts or laws for implementation. policies are legal framework that will successfully drive the implementation and enforcement of laws…

  • After her death the aunts, uncles, and extended family members are coming forward and talking. What makes me so angry is where were these people when Jenelyn needed them in her struggles and beatings at the hands of this coward animal. I am sure every body new what was happening and they turned a blind eye on her. What makes me so sad is that she had no one to turn too. This is the part I really shed tears for her. She died a lonely painful death. I pray that please God have mercy on her Soul.
    I have a daughter and her mother passed on several years ago and I have remained un-remarried because I do not want my daughter to go thru the similar problem and also to provide for my daughter.
    Children who fend for themselves are most likely to become victims of such relationships. Those of you out there who have daughters PLEASE take good care of them. God Bless You All.

  • It seems the Police had done what was required of them. However it is evident that the Husband had forced his poor victim to have the domestic violence case removed from police records. What a monstrous guy he is!!!

    Late Jenelyn’s family are on track! All families of past diseased women who have fell at the hands of their husbands should join the fight now and the media should explicitly publish what has become of the murderer’s!! Lets end this violence and have a whole new set of laws passed to properly nestle within our culture and the western judicial system!

    As per Mr. O’neil, Yes!!The family should be charged and prosecuted too. They knew all along of the beatings and abuse and the parents as legal guardians of the murder had not stood up to see to it that their failure as parents to properly educate their son be righted by reporting to the police of their child’s inhumane behavior. That includes the four shit faced guys who were present during the incident!!

  • I am disgusted and annoyed of how a pretty young girl can die at the hands of a gruesome animal sadist. I was once a victim of Family Violence and I know the pain and constant fear of facing another bout of beatings from my partner/husband with no one to turn to for solace, comfort and strength as no one wants to be part and parcel of the domestic feud. “Me cry taim me ridim displa news about Jenelyn. I know the torments, sufferings and pain you’ve endured over those 5 painful years of your marriage. May the good Lord grant her a peaceful rest from her 5 years of torture.

    Please famili blo Jenelyn. Yupla stap where when she needed you the MOST?????

  • Will full and manslaughter murder law is always being around since the dawn of times.Dead in the hands of some one whether he or she be a loved one doesn’t matter.The culprit should be punished accordingly with the existing laws that we have.

  • Stop poligamy marriage underage marriage and impose Sentence of death to this kind of violances .no needed to show grace to this kind of crime

  • When I was not long married my wife’s 18 or 19 years old female cousin ran away from her husband who was seeking a 2nd wife. On his adulterous visits to that woman he would tie his first young wife to one of the internal posts of the house for hours. Imagine the degrading situation for any call of nature. He was a cowardly wife beater too and she showed my wife and I the many scars on her back from his violence. I took her to the so called Welfare Office in Kavieng for them to follow up with necessary action against this nasty character that she had been sold to for about K40. She remained tied to her lord and master for the rest of her short life. I was away elsewhere in PNG and wonder if he was ever even questioned or charged by the police.

    Years have gone by but sadly nothing has changed. This week I received information that two of my brother-in-law’s children are in abusive situations with beatings from their husbands who incidentally are brothers. One of these young women has run away to join my wife in what has become a small but gradually growing community of internally displaced refugees for many of my extended family. This number increased after violence to them, their property and even threats to their lives forced them off their at least one hundred fifty years of traditional land a few years ago. The National has reported a minimum of 35 deaths from uninvestigated murders on Lavongai Island; while others claim it could go as high as 100. My own personal contacts have complained at the lack of police follow up of all these terrible happenings on the island. That is also nothing new as over many years their excuse was ‘Sori mipela nogat benzin!’ or ‘Mota bilong bot emi nogut!’ or ‘Nogat mani bilong wokabout!’ There was a tiny police post at Taskul which too often was also unable to help.

    Yet among all this mayhem on the 24th June the NIP Governor was in a small hamlet; very near the homes of these two young married woman, opening a Christian centre. Lavongai since the Germans left in 1918 has not had a ring road so I guess Sir. J flew safely in a helicopter to visit that project and two other villages in one day.

    People are rightly questioning why this horrible death for Jenelyn in an ostensibly Christian nation. Some of you may have noted just last week that in the Court of Disputed Returns Madang Gov. Yama & loser J. Singirok mentioned the rapist James Yali being illegally nominated which effected the polling. So you don’t have to look far to ask about the moral state of PNG when over 77000 voters can vote for a man who has shown such immoral behaviour.

  • Our law and justice laws need to be fully reviewed to close in on apparent gaps that are giving rising offenders a free run. Why wait for our womenfolk, let alone men who are silently enduring DV and abuse for years, to die. The government authorities, together with corporate bodies need to come together with our populace to make an effective change once and for all. Enough of this nonsense. Action needs to be taken today.

  • What a shame, the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence at present is only a document that is collecting dust and our politicians are doing nothing to help fund this very necessary program. What a shame! Usim money lo sponsorim ol useless sports games and luxurious stadiums and these very necessary things we are not budgeting for.

  • IF GIRLS HAVE THEIR LAWS THAN BOYS TO MUST HAVE LAWS TO PROTECT BOTH FROM HARM EACH OTHER…ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS POPS UP BOTH WILL HAVE THEIR RIGHTS TO DEFEND AND PROTECT THEMSELVES…IF NOTHING HAPPENS THIS DAYS I BELIEVE GIRLS WILL BE DYING SLOWLY…BECAUSE MANS WILL NOT BE DEFENDED…LETS REGULATE SOME LAWS ON VIOLENCE AGAINST MAN AND CHILDREN…THIS MUST HAPPEN…SOME LADY ARE ESCAPING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THEIR SIN AND MAN ARE SLOWLY ATTACKING WOMEN WHO KNOWS…START REGULATING LAWS FOR MAN

Comments are closed.