Top cop wants joint effort on gender war

A COLLECTIVE effort from everyone is needed to effectively address gender-based violence, says Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jnr.
He made this comments on Friday during a combined panel discussion at the Lae Yacht Club on how to deal with the issue. It was organised by the European Union and United Nations.
Wagambie said more than 40 cases relating to violence were reported to the Family and Sexual Violence Unit on a daily basis.
“Gender-based violence is very high in Lae and across PNG as many cases are not reported,” he said.
“The figure given could be higher than 40 as some cases are not being reported to our FSVU unit.”
He said Lae police were now equipped with the knowledge and skills to deal with victims.
“Victims in Lae are now receiving proper treatment by police compared to the past,” he said.
“Some of our officers have gone through training to deal with family and sexual violence cases.”
Wagambie also commended Lae media and NGO’s for their part in addressing the issue in the city.
“Lae media, police and non-government organisations have combined well to address this issue. We are looking at working with other organisations to effectively address this issue,” he said.
UN Gender Task Team coordinator Danielle Winfrey said the discussion allowed different organisations to share their views and experiences on gender-based violence.