We must unite to end violence

IT is time for those who perpetrate violence against the vulnerable – old, women and children to be prosecuted to feel the full brunt of the law. Everyone has the duty of protecting the vulnerable.
We must hold accountable those who perpetrate violence against them.
Perpetrators are right now doing these things with impunity.
The law is there, but for justice to be served can be tedious for victims. Violence against women and children in PNG is pervasive.
It comes in many forms and is multi-dimensional.
Every year, we hear disturbing accounts of intimate partner and domestic violence-related deaths, yet, there is no access to justice.
This calls for bolder and persistent approach.
Last week, the One Billion Rising campaign, was launched worldwide, including PNG. It is the biggest mass action initially to end violence against women and girls. It is part of the V-Day movement and advocates on behalf of the rights of women.
The campaign, launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action. It was based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That number is equivalent to one billion women and girls.
In PNG, we support the campaign and with the Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC) of the Consultative and Implementation Council, call on communities and families to rise and unite to join the movement in order to see positive change.
The FSVAC has been sounding the call for justice to prevail and to end all forms of violence against women and children for years.
We cannot deny the fact that the rise in violence against women, and in particular domestic violence-related deaths, means that this call for justice to prevail can no longer be ignored by those who have the power to make it real.
Readily accessible should be paths to comprehensive medical, legal aid and psychosocial support for survivors of violence.
We commend Government, through Department of Health and with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) support, for establishment of Family Support Centres (FSC) in 2004.
Addressing domestic violence requires a coordinated community response that includes healthcare facilities, law-enforcement agencies, non-profit organisations, schools that serve victims’ children, and effective public policy.
Survivors require legal support to access justice, medical treatment, psycho-social support and often, especially in the case of intimate partner violence, assistance with finding emergency shelter and livelihood support to enable them to leave their homes.
Even if they access medical reports from health workers with the intent to report an incident to police, many opt not to attend police stations. Fear of unsympathetic responses from police, fear of being followed to a police station by their attacker or attacker’s family, lack of detailed information about their legal rights or legal processes, shame at having been assaulted, and fear of possible retaliatory consequences from the accused party or his (or her) family all contribute to client attrition from referral systems.
Take children into the equation.
Children living with domestic violence suffer emotional and psychological trauma from the impact of living in a household that is dominated by tension and fear.
A network of FSVUs, family support centres and NGOs are increasing across PNG.
There is much work to be done, and still many women that don’t have such support.