In the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), an estimated 70% of women experience physical or sexual violence. A 2013 study found that 80% of men had been physically or sexually violent towards a partner in their lifetime, and 41% had reported having committed non-partner rape. In PNG, extreme violence against women accused of sorcery is also prevalent. This violence has huge direct costs for individual women, their children and families. It affects their health, wellbeing, freedom of movement, economic security, and relationships.

With limited access to health care, social support services, and justice, local organisations like Eastern Highlands Family Voice play a vital role in protecting women's rights and providing crisis services to survivors of violence.

International Women's Development Agency (IWDA) partners with Eastern Highlands Family Voice (EHFV) to deliver critical counselling, case management and referrals to women and children experiencing violence in Eastern Highlands Province. They also provide counselling for male perpetrators, paralegal advice and training, community mediation and conflict resolution support, awareness raising initiatives and educational workshops.

Last year, EHFV provided crisis services to 338 people experiencing violence. These services can include private counselling sessions, providing information on available services and protections, providing referrals and escorts to police, support accessing the justice system, family mediations, and more. For many women, even travelling to the office to access information can be unsafe. EHFV does community outreach throughout the Province, ensuring that more women have access to these vital services.

29 year old Betty¹ has been in a violent marriage for eight years. She and her husband have three children, but despite him earning a good salary as a teacher, he did not support them. It is well known in the community that Betty's husband has had multiple affairs – he has been charged by the village court and was made to pay compensation. Since the birth of her last child Betty has been physically assaulted many times and felt that she was living in "hell on earth". Without any formal education, and with no livelihood of her own, she was financially dependent on her abusive husband and couldn't leave.

Betty came to EHFV after a relative told her about the service. She talked to a counsellor, although her husband refused to come in for couples counselling. The counsellor provided Betty with a number of options for support and access to justice. The case worker supported Betty to go to the police and the village court, who dissolved the marriage and granted her custody of the children. The husband has been ordered to pay monthly maintenance for the children, enabling Betty to live independently and free from violence.

IWDA is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.

1. Not her real name