More support work to keeping women, girls safe

By Jason Dom
Ginigoada Bisnis Development Foundation and United Nations Women presented a new Meri Seif bus to the Saraga community at 6-Mile in Port Moresby.
In 2015, the foundation and the UN Women launched a partnership to expand the Port Moresby safe city free of violence against women and girls campaign to include safe public transport.
The Meri Seif bus project was introduced with over 400 women using the service daily, supported by the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry, City Pharmacy Ltd Group, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, NCDC and Digicel.
UN Women rep Adekemi Ndieli said the bus would have a personal security guard and be driven by woman driver Pauline Paulo.
“The new bus will route from Taurama to Vadavada, Manu, 3-Mile, Sabama, Badili and 4-Mile,” she said.
“It also come with timetable scheduled MSB-04.”
Ndieli said in 2014, UN Women conducted a scoping study in which over 90 per cent of women and girls interviewed said they experienced some form of violence when accessing public transport.
The most-common types of violence reported by women and girls included verbal sexual remarks, extortion, robbery, threats or intimidation, inappropriate touching, and indecent exposure.