World Bank funds K570,000 for gender violence project

THE World Bank is funding a US$181,000 (K570,000) research project on gender-based violence and family sexual violence in mine impacted communities in Papua New Guinea.
The research project on drivers of and approaches to such violence will be piloted in the Porgera, Hidden Valley and Frieda exploration project areas.
Finnish firm Finnish Overseas Consultants (FinnOC) Ltd will carry out the research.
This project is an initiative of the PNG Government in partnership with the World Bank. It is being implemented by the Mineral Resources Authority.
Magistrate Andrew Justin, of the Kolowabi village court in the Wau Rural Local Level Government in Morobe, welcomed the initiative.
Justin said family sexual violence (FSV) was prevalent in the area. Since 2016 he had presided over 64 FSV-related cases, some of which involved landowner communities.
They were related to the development brought in by the mining project.
The president of the Wau Rural Women’s Association, Esther Waian, said the number of cases in landowner communities of Winima and Kuembu was a concern.
The findings of the research will assist the Government in developing programmes to address FSV issues in mining communities.
“FSV contributes to the breakdown in family units and other social problems and will subsequently affect the operations of mines.”