Towards Zero: The Spotlight Initiative in Papua New Guinea Spotlight Initiative - Papua New Guinea

The Spotlight Initiative places civil society at the centre of ending violence against women and girls. 

Like Eastern Highlands Family Voice, Community Development Agency is a grassroots organisation working in Papua New Guinea's Highlands Region to address violence with locally developed approaches. CDA's outreach and education programs build on the principle that for peace to be sustainable, change be community owned. Based in Simbu province, CDA sees all forms of violence in the province as interconnected and that reducing violence demands attention to the root causes. 

Listen to Simin and Kaupa from CDA discuss this approach and the strategies and activities implemented by CDA to put this into practice. They share some success stories - one from the day of this interview - that show this approach is changing mindsets in Simbu province.

Safe houses provide shelter and security for women and girls escaping violence. They are vital for providing immediate, emergency support to women and girls. 

The Spotlight Initiative is supporting safe houses in Papua New Guinea to fulfil their role as essential frontline service providers in the response to violence. We are providing training, supplies, and financial support to build on the existing strengths of the organisations and personnel operating these safe houses with a vision for sustainability into the future. 

In this episode, we speak with Gerthrude and Betty from Femili PNG and Sr Augustina from Couppe House about the services provided at safe houses, the challenges they face, and how they connect survivors of violence with health and police services. 

Papua New Guinea's Highlands Region has a reputation for violence. As we heard from Robin and Mary in Episode 1, and as we'll hear from our guest this episode, the perception from people working to reduce violence in all its forms is that this is getting worse. 

In the Highlands, ending violence against women and girls cannot be achieved without addressing all forms of violence, including unique challenges like tribal violence and sorcery-accusation related violence which affect everyone. Organisations like Eastern Highlands Family Voice work to prevent and respond to violence in all its forms in Eastern Highlands province, one of the most linguistically diverse regions of not only PNG but the world. In this episode we explore how the organisation is building a network of community-based organisations as part of a custom approach to ending violence that embraces the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of the province. 

Listen to John Ericho from Eastern Highlands Family Voice describe the humble origins of the organisation, the development of this innovative approach to addressing violence, and his hopes for a future free from violence. 

Healthcare providers are among the most trusted sources of information for remote communities in Papua New Guinea. They are also often the first point of contact for women and girls experiencing violence. However, health seeking behaviours in remote communities is low, and inconsistent police protections leave many women hesitant to report violence when they do seek help.

The Spotlight Initiative is strengthening quality essential services for women and girls experiencing violence. This includes growing outreach activities to encourage health seeking behaviours and training health care providers to recognise and respond to possible presentations of sexual, family, or intimate partner violence. 

Listen to the Christine from the Family Health Association (East New Britain) and Esther from Touching the Untouchables (Eastern Highlands) speak about how the Spotlight Initiative has supported outreach activities to connect people from remote communities with health services, and ultimately connect more women and girls experiencing violence to health, police, and justice. 

Over 60% of the population of Papua New Guinea is under 25 (UNFPA). Changing the attitudes and behaviours of this young population is critical to ending violence against women and girls.  

Last week we heard how Positive Parenting programs aim breaking the cycle of violence for children. This week, we look at how peer education is reaching adolescents in both schools and communities, teaching consent and healthy relationships and introducing students to where they can seek assistance with sexual and reproductive health information and services. Central to this program is instilling the idea that violence is never okay, it is never the survivors fault, and it should always be reported. 

Listen to the team from the PNG Family Health Association and Margaret from Kokopo Secondary School as they share how youth-led outreach activities are meeting demand for relevant and informed content on GBV and sexual and reproductive health for young people in East New Britain. 

The Spotlight Initiative works to address all aspects of violence against women and girls - from legislation to grassroots actions. Perhaps the most important piece of this puzzle is prevention. 

In this episode, we speak with Mike Goro, from the Highlands Youth Rehabilitation and Training Centre, and Issac Keru, from the Archdiocese of Mt Hagen, about how each organisation is rolling out Spotlight's Positive Parenting program. This program aims to end violence from the very beginning, from the earliest years of life, through non-violent discipline and modelling healthy relationships. 

Listen to Mike and Issac as they share how demand for this program is growing and how it will contribute to a safer future for women and girls in PNG.