Women and girls caged in by violence

VIOLENCE is restricting women and girls from accessing public services like markets, schools and hospitals, says an official.
UN Women country representative Susan Ferguson said mothers and girls do not feel safe in their own homes and it is therefore worse on the streets because of fear of violence and harassment.
“When our sisters, daughters, mothers and grandmothers do not accessing these services it affects their human and economic development.
“This is not right and had to be stopped to make homes and streets of our city be free from all forms of violence for everyone to live and enjoy their life and living.
“No one is born with a violent behaviour. It is a learnt behaviour, learnt from people around them and that behaviour can be changed as behaviours change every time and day,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson was speaking at the launch the ‘16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence’. The event calls for the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls.
It is an annual global event that starts on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on Human Rights Day on December 10.
PNG, which sees extreme forms of violence, the event includes Universal Children’s Day today to bring to light issues affecting children.
This year’s 16 Days of Activism will feature awareness such as sessions at schools and market, cleanathon and community service, concerts, visits to female inmates in prisons and solidarity walks.
Key messages of the campaign include gender equality, consent, rights to be safe, men and boys as allies and a safe city for all.
The 16 Days of Activism aims to amplify the voices of all women from all levels and walks of life in the call to end violence against women and to advocate for specific changes within institutions and workplaces.
She said it is all about bringing partners together to raise awareness to bring the change needed to make this country a safe place for women and girls.
This year the campaign is launched against the backdrop of an unprecedented global outcry against sexual harassment and global social media conversations such as #Metoo, TimesUp and HollaBack.