Public, private sector to help protect women
BY FRANKLIN KOLMA
WOMEN who have been subjected to forms of violence can expect some help and reassurance thanks to an initiative called Bel isi PNG or Peaceful PNG.
Under the scheme, women who have fallen victim to violence especially from their partners can seek counselling, shelter and even protection. According to the Oil Search Foundation, the initiative stemmed from the troubling statistics being wrought by studies suggesting that two out of three PNG women experience some form of physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime.
It was gleaned from correspondences with Oil Search Foundation that the corporate community was now stepping up to help address this societal plight.
‘Building on many years of work by a range of women’s organisations including the Business Coalition for Women, non-government organisations, donor partners and the PNG Government, the private sector is stepping up to take a leadership role in addressing this development challenge,’ read an article on the Bel isi initiative sent to the Post Courier.
It was ascertained that nine major organisations signed onto the Bel isi PNG initiative to date and that that number was bound to grow as more awareness on the initiative became apparent.
The companies and organisations that have already joined were said to be ANZ, the Australian High Commission, Bank of South Pacific (BSP), Brian Bell, Digicel, ExxonMobil, Oil Search, Steamships Company and the World Bank Group.
It was explained in an Oil Search Foundation press release that support for victims of VAW would include legal advice, or medical assistance, relationship counselling and where need be, police intervention.
BSP’s Group chief executive officer and co-chair of the Bel isi PNG Steering Committee Robin Fleming said that BSP remains committed to providing a safer and more supportive organisational climate for survivors of family and sexual violence.
“We strongly feel that it is our moral obligation to provide support to those who are survivors of family and sexual violence and based on this belief, we started to search for a solution some years ago.
“We have now also seen the positive impacts of the assistance provided by Bel isi PNG. Our staff can return to work without the burden of having to deal with issues to protect themselves and their families from further violence and abuse,” said Mr Fleming.
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