Settlement women bare all for first time

WOMEN from settlements within the National Capital District spoke publicly for the first time this week about their daily experiences and the challenges, claiming they had been ignored by government authorities.
Fifteen women from Paga Hill settlement in downtown Port Moresby and ATS compound at 9-Mile spoke of regular domestic violence, rapes and the rise of HIV/AIDS and other diseases in their over-crowded communities as a result of lack of services like access to clean water, health, proper sanitation and life skills education and training to help them sustain a decent living.
Their stories, accompanied by photographs they had taken in their own communities, were heard by an eminent panel of activists, leaders and the media during the poverty and corruption hearing organised by the Millennium Development Goals campaign group in Port Moresby and the Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) at Crowne Plaza on Wednesday.
The event was in support of the Stand Up, Take Action and Make Noise campaign launched two weeks ago by the UN group and civil society programme on MDG.
The aim was to listen to stories from ordinary PNG men and women affected by corruption and poverty and its effect on achieving the MDGs.
The women, referred to as the Family Health International (FHI) “powerful voices”, said their cry for services had been a cry from the heart for a long time but government had completely turned a blind eye on their needs.
“Challenges faced by settlement women are many. Women face security problems, health problems and are at risk of being infected with HIV/AIDS for resorting to sex trade as a means of survival, not enough income to meet children’s school fees or medical expenses,” Lily Namahu said when giving a summary of experiences faced by mothers from ATS settlement.