| Home > South Pacific & Oceania >> Papua New Guinea | |
Violence against women highest in PNG: report
Radio Australia - November 26, 2008
A new report by Australia's international aid agency AusAid reveals women in Papua New Guinea face some of the highest levels of domestic and sexual violence in the world.
The "Violence against Women in Melanesia and East Timor" report is focused on addressing all forms of violence against women.
The report by AusAID's Office of Aid Effectiveness, entitled Violence against women in Melanesia and Timor, reveals that women in Papua New Guinea experience very high levels of domestic and sexual violence.
It is part of a series of reports by the Australian government aimed at helping PNG reduce domestic violence.
The Head of AusAID in PNG, Bill Costello, says Australia is helping the government address violence against women, as it poses major development challenges.
"One of the main aims was to provide more information on the issue so that we know more and try to encourage leadership on an effective response," he said.
Currently PNG ranks 124th out of 136 countries on the UN Development program gender-development. Solomons campaign
Solomon Islands has begun 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence after the same report revealed two out of three Solomons women aged between 15 and 49 experienced violence at the hands of their husband or boyfriend.
The country liaison for the World Health Organisation in Solomon Islands, Dr William Adu-Krow, has told the Solomon Times newspaper the 16 days of Activism is a global campaign encouraging people to take a stand against gender-based violence.
He says one out of five Solomons women had experienced violence by someone other than their partner and one out of 10 pregnant women had reported being beaten.
Dr Adu-Krow says at least 64 per cent of Solomons women had been affected by domestic violence, putting the country the third highest on a global gender-based violence index.
See also:
 |