Provincial GBV Focal Points Leading Community-level Implementation of National GBV Strategy

“Everyone in the Highlands region, they grew up in that kind of environment. I say it's in the DNA.” continues Robin Yakumb. 

Robin is the interim GBV Focal Point for Western Highlands Province, one of several individuals around the country appointed to connect families and individuals to government services and legal protections that assist women and children experiencing violence.

In Jiwaka, GBV Focal Point Mary Tol highlighted that local resource constraints have led to perpetrators being set free. “Sometimes the murderers of women and girls are being set free because the police say that there's insufficient evidence to bring them to court.”

These perpetrators are then free to reoffend, leaving women and children vulnerable and communities hesitant to report violence.  

On paper, the right of women and children to live free from violence is assured in Papua New Guinea, with protections outlined in the Family Protection Act and Lukautim Pikinini Act, in addition to the Criminal Code. In practice, however, the country has one of highest rates of violence against women and girls in the region.

A persistent challenge for policy-makers and advocates working to end violence against women and girls in Papua New Guinea is ensuring that protections and services established at the national level are available at the village level; that individuals are reporting cases of violence to police, that police have the resources to respond and the appropriate documentation to present to the court, and that village court magistrates apply the law appropriately and do not permit negotiations for compensation.

The National GBV Strategy was launched in 2016 and is a blue print to guide the work of all agencies across the national government, as well as provincial government bodies, civil society organisations and development partners. The National GBV Strategy is underpinned by the understanding that addressing GBV will require strong leadership, a holistic and coordinated approach supported by ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and research.

Responsible for implementing this strategy is the National GBV Secretariat (NGBVS) which, through lack of funding, has faced significant roadblocks. The NGBVS has an interim Director and is not fully staffed.

The Spotlight Initiative, launched in 2020, aims to address the challenges in putting the National GBV Strategy into practice, and key to this is operationalising the National GBV Secretariat.

In Eastern Highlands Province (EHP), Siviri Lalave has been appointed as the provincial GBV Focal Point. She was also a member of the province’s Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee.

“That committee has been like a meeting on ad hoc basis up until 2021 when National Parliamentary Committee on Gender-Based Violence was set up,” said Siviri. “That's the time that the provincial government has seen the importance of having those committees in the provinces set up in addressing this issue.”

“When the government supports, we will see that it will help deliver the services that the people need and women and children, and those who are affected by gender-based violence, get the justice that they need.”

Provincial GBV Focal Points are now developing strategies and plans to address local gaps in institutional capacity to prevent and respond to violence against women and children.  

“I'd like to see bringing in all the districts together to come up with their own district strategies,” said Robin. “We need these plans as to how we can address these issues at the district level or the community level.”

“I want funding to be very consistent over five years to ten years,” says Mary. “We don't need a strategy that sits at the corner and collects dust.”

The Spotlight Initiative has supported the appointment of provincial GBV focal points as part of activities to operationalise the National GBV Strategy. Support has also included the development of a National GBV Secretariat website to keep provincial contacts and the general public updated on activities and materials.