Violence in public places makes women and children feel unsafe, says an advocate

By GIDEON KINDIWA
Gender-based violence and violence of all kinds commonly take place in public places such as markets and these contributed to creating a society in which women and children do not feel safe, a youth advocate says.
Youth coordinator for United Nations Women “Sanap Wantaim” campaign Jeanette Ila encouraged the public to work together to stop violence in the market place during an awareness session at the Boroko Market in Port Moresby.
“We should all work together to create a safe community to live in. Markets are places where we all gather to buy and sell and we all should feel safe and free from all forms of threat,” she said.
UN Women project coordinator McKergow Nilkare reminded the public about the authorities responsible for keeping the market place safe. He said there were proper ways to deal with issues of safety and there were authorities such as the securities and police in place to take care of such issues, so if anything occurs they should be informed.
However, he stressed that it is up to each and every individual to act responsibly and respect each other.
The awareness was part of a “20 days of activism campaign” that will be carried in the city where discussions will be held with the public on the bad impacts of violence and how people could create a safer society to live in.
Tambuale Mataipbe, 60, from Hela, is a mother who usually goes to Boroko Market to do her marketing. She said she had witnessed many occasions where men beat their wives at the market place and no one attempted to stop them or get the authorities to deal with the issue.
“Men must learn to respect women and children and protect them and women must also respect men and not provoke them,” she said.
“In that way our community would become a much safer place to live in.”
Members of the public thanked the Sanap Wantaim team for an interactive, entertaining and informative awareness programme.