2012 TO 2016 Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) Community looking after women 2012 TO 2016 Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) Community looking after women

KLOM is changing the negative gender norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls in Papua New Guinea Many communities in Papua New Guinea struggle with violence against women and girls. 54.5% of women in Western Highlands province and 47.1% of women in West Sepik Province reported being raped by a husband or regular partner in the Family Well-Being Study. Since 2012, FHI 360’s KLOM project has focused on addressing the root causes of this violence in the Western Highlands and West Sepik provinces of the country. Through a holistic approach grounded in a social-ecological model, KLOM takes decisive action at the individual, community, institutional and societal levels to address entrenched negative gender norms and change the attitudes and behaviors that allow violence to continue.

KLOM’s interventions align with Objective give women tools they need to generate their 3 of the Pacifc Women Shaping Pacifc own livelihood. Development PNG Country Plan, “to strengthen the national response to violence KLOM interventions are yielding results, and against women and provide expanded support following are 10 stories from Mount Hagen to services.” and Vanimo, both communities in PNG, that testify to the ongoing transformative changes KLOM is achieving this by empowering in men’s attitudes and to women’s newly- community mobilizers, who: (1) work to gained strengths. Where there was once reduce community tolerance of violence very high risk of violence against women against women and girls in a way that and girls, this project is creating a safe and increases community ownership of the equitable environment where all members of project; (2) work to increase access for the community, including men, respect the survivors of sexual and physical violence to human rights of women and respect the rule appropriate and timely services; and (3) work of law regarding women’s right to freedom of to build self-esteem and self-confdence movement, equal access to health services, of women and girls who have experienced equal access to employment and a life free of or who are vulnerable to violence through fear. knowledge, education and interventions that

“A recent survey conducted by our Constitutional and Law Reform Commission concluded that nearly two-thirds of Papua New Guinea’s married women sufer violence inficted by their husbands or partners. The Government of Papua New Guinea acknowledges that violence against women and girls in the country is a serious cross-cutting development issue and human rights concern that must not be tolerated any more. We are therefore committed to combat gender-based violence and also entrench gender equality and empowerment in the country.”

-H.E. Mr. Robert G. Aisi, Permanent Representative of PNG to the UN, addressing the 50th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York March 11th, 2013 Success Story How an illiterate woman in a polygamous marriage transformed a whole community

MT. HAGEN The Highlands region of Papua New Guinea is known for polygamy, a long- 1 held practice in this remote area. Livelihoods here are scant and most people make a living growing vegetables. Family structures tend to be extended and traditional. Evidence also shows that women in these polygamous marriages are at a higher risk of being physically abused by their husbands than are those in monogamous marriages. Having multiple wives in the same household causes a great deal of jealousy among the competing wives and this jealousy feeds into violence that can be exceptionally destructive for the family.

Kinzibi village refects the problem. In “My husband was a drunk,” Karen recalls. the past there have been extremely high numbers of rape cases and high levels Since October 2012, the Komuniti of violence against women and girls Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) project (VAWG) in Kinzibi, with many instances (“Community Looking after Women of women in polygamous marriages and Girls), implemented by FHI 360 and slashing the legs or breaking the limbs of funded by the Australian Department rival wives in the same family. of Foreign Afairs and Trade (DFAT), has been working with communities Living in this community is Serah Tei, an in the Western Highlands and West illiterate mother of two children, who is Sepik provinces of PNG to reduce the one of four wives of the local community level of violence against women and counselor, a leader in the village! Serah girls and support survivors of gender- was no stranger to this violence. based violence (GBV). KLOM has been working with community mobilizers, “There used to be a lot of confict in my who are selected by the community to family,” she says. “I have experienced help educate and raise awareness about both physical and psychological abuse at GBV and to work toward attitude and the hands of my husband and the other behavior change. The community is wives. I was not happy with the new involved in the selection process to build additions but I had no choice. Life was trust and ownership of the interventions. really hard.” When Serah frst learned about The behavior is handed down from messages given out by KLOM on gender father to son too. Serah’s daughter-in- equality and GBV, it struck a nerve with law, Karen, also experienced violence at her. It challenged her to change her own the hands of her husband, Serah’s son. thinking about the normalization of He too wanted to take an additional violence within polygamous marriages. wife, saying like the other young men, She sought to volunteer as a community ‘this is what my father did and what his mobilizer: she was the ideal candidate. father did.’ There was only one problem, the selection criteria for a volunteer was they had a complex message to get an individual who had, at minimum, across, that polygamy is not acceptable completed the eighth grade, because the and ultimately, to stop violence, stop work required volunteers who could read polygamous marriages. and write. Serah was illiterate. The knowledge that Serah has learned She was not alone, however. The KLOM has now had a positive impact on her project team reviewed the selections son’s family too. for community mobilizer and noticed that other volunteers were illiterate “Serah would visit us at home to inform too. So rather than reject these willing about her learnings and she gave me volunteers who had valuable personal leafets to read,” Karen says. “We learned experience at the receiving end of and started to change, and [my husband] VAWG, they decided to take up the stopped drinking and being violent to me. challenge and develop the skills of these The whole family has visibly changed.” candidates. KLOM modifed its training tools to include picture cards as a tool. Karen and her husband are now members of the community action group Serah began attending trainings ofered as well and they too have participated by FHI 360. Among the skills she learned in community trainings organized by was basic communication so she could FHI 360, which boosted their own express herself to her husband and the knowledge gained from their sessions other wives about what was wrong. with Serah. They have also attended She took this new knowledge, along economic enterprise trainings conducted with leafets to be used as aids for by FHI 360 in partnership with ANZ interventions, home and shared this all Bank, on savings, called MoneyMinded. with her family. The other wives listened, and her husband, Alphonse, took on “We now have money to build a board the information that she shared. permanent house,” she says.

Now, with support from Alphonse and In just under four years, the work done the rest of her family, Serah was sharing by KLOM community mobilizers has messages on prevention of violence had a profound impact in Kinzibi. In a against women in the village. As a community where polygamy was once family, they started to hold community the norm, now the mobilizers report that discussions at the market place, church no one is taking a second wife, which is a and other gatherings to speak about considerable change in local values and violence and the negative impacts of a great example of how the community polygamy. They spoke openly about has worked together to bring about a the challenges that they had faced as a positive transformation. family and demonstrated the changes that can occur when there is no family violence. Granted, being still polygamous “Now in our community awareness is Alphonse now says, “It hurts me to much better,” Serah says. “Men just have discover the pain that I was causing my one wife. They aren’t drinking home family by having more than one wife. brew as much, or smoking marijuana, Through what Serah told me, I could see or pulling women into the bush. People that this was at the root of the problems had the wrong thinking about what is in our family. I’m now telling my people acceptable and tolerated as a norm. and no one is taking a second wife.” Now we talk about what’s the right way. Now things are normal. There is no more “Serah is a powerful woman.” violence and we are living peacefully.” Success Story Mediation rather than retaliation

MT. HAGEN In Papua New Guinea’s Western Highlands, traditions run deep and cultural 2 beliefs are strongly ingrained, particularly the belief that men are above women. This is a remote area where most people make a scant living growing vegetables. Violence is always just under the surface, exacerbated by a volatile mix of alcohol, drugs, male privilege and the strain of unequal relations between women and men. Bride price deems women to be the ‘property’ of their husbands and almost guarantees that disagreements will lead to violence, injuries or death. The traditional response to this is then more violent retaliation as an attempt at justice. These practices have been woven into PNG society for centuries and women bear the brunt of it.

The village of Kinzibi is at the center of But the community is trying to change, this crisis. helped along by Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM), a project funded by the “Before, whenever there was an issue Australian Department of Foreign Afairs of a girl being pulled or raped by a and Trade (DFAT) and implemented man from another tribe, or if a car was by FHI 360. KLOM has established stoned, the community would mobilize Community Mobilizers in Kinzibi, who are and take revenge,” says Joseph Pat, a selected by the community to help raise Community Mobilizer against violence. awareness about gender-based violence “The revenge goes much further than the and to work toward attitude change. initial crime, to burning houses, getting These Community Mobilizers have guns, bush knives or axes and retaliation worked with village leaders to set up an rapes.” ‘Action Group’ made up of local heads, counselors, pastors and magistrates This violence so tied to the unequal to support the Community Mobilizers, status of women was only made worse to react to situations that arise, and to by jealousy and retaliation within come up with action that can be taken to polygamous families. Polygamy is still engage the community and bring about practiced in PNG, and remains a source change. of confict. And law enforcement is hard pressed to respond in this sparsely Through training and sensitization that populated, mountainous country where focuses on soft skills such as facilitation, access is difcult and awareness is mediation, networking, coordinating and lacking. communication, not only have levels of violence reduced, but the community “As we are so far from [the nearest town leaders have decided that they will no with public services], the police won’t longer take revenge, instead vowing to come unless there’s money for fuel, settle issues with compensation through which costs around 200 kina (USD 63). village mediation. So we take the law into our own hands,” Joseph says. “We are currently dealing with a “Now in our community, awareness is mediation where a drunk man from much better,” says community member another village got hit by a car and Serah Tei. “When men cause trouble, was killed,” Joseph says. “We are not instead of reacting with violence, they retaliating despite having people from have a meeting rather than fghting.” the other village taking some of our girls and raping them, as well as damaging And although KLOM is focused on our vehicles.” reducing levels of violence against women and girls, in this community the In another recent case, one of the girls work has demonstrated that, by investing in the village was attacked while waiting in women, you don’t just change life for the bus. The young men in the village for them, you change it for the whole mobilized to retaliate, but the Action community. In Kinzibi this has brought Group, with the Community Mobilisers, about an even broader sense of peace. stood up to stop the young men, telling them that to go and fght would refect Community leaders plan to continue badly on the whole community. working with the surrounding tribes to share their knowledge and address This discussion and internal violence more widely, showing the great confrontation paved the way for the level of community ownership of this community to move into mediation. They process. sat down with the other party and talked. No property was destroyed and no Joseph says: “We are very thankful to people harmed because the community FHI 360 for showing us a way to resolve decided to try an alternative to violence. these issues peacefully without resorting to more violence.” Success Story From Sad Reality to Survivor: One battered Kotna woman speaks out on GBV

MT. HAGEN Kotna is a remote village in the Western Highlands province of Papua 3 New Guinea, well in the interior of this heavily forested island nation. Most of the residents here subsist on small-scale agriculture.. Incomes are commensurately low and, like much of the country, this area struggles with violence driven by tradition and in some cases fueled by drugs or alcohol. Women are usually caught in the middle, victims of gender-based violence in this strictly patriarchal society.

Priscilla (not her real name) knows Due to her injuries Priscilla had to have personally the pain that some women her jaw rebuilt and will only ever be able live with here. Last year her brother-in- to eat soft food from now on. law hit her so violently that her jaw was shattered. Priscilla’s story paints the picture of the sad reality for many women “My husband became very sick and in PNG, where they are considered needed to go to the hospital. Before subordinate to men. It’s a complex we could take him we had a family problem woven deeply into the discussion to ensure that there will be culture. The subordination of women no blame for the cause of the illness is the cornerstone of male privilege, between family members,” she relates. questioning that shatters men’s sense of identity in a patriarchal society. That “During this meeting I didn’t say anything. scares men, and women are simply too After my husband was taken to the terrifed to question the situation. In hospital my brother-in-law found me Priscilla’s case, her brother-in-law was and hit me for no reason. He hit me so blaming her for making her husband powerfully that he broke my jaw. I lost all sick. KLOM works to ensure that women of my teeth in the bottom of my mouth.” in this situation can at least access the vital services they need and that there Thankfully for Priscilla, Cathy Samuel, is a clear, defned pathway for them to a Community Mobilizer in FHI 360’s follow to get essential care. Community Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) mobilizers like Cathy Samuel are project, lived very close by and was able embedded in their own community, the to help her. Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri frst point of contact for anyone who translates to “community looking after experiences violence. They provide a women.” direct link between the victim/survivor and essential services. Pricilla recounts “Cathy knew straight away that there was a problem. Through Continuing her story Priscilla recalls her awareness, I knew that there was a “They took me to the Well Women Clinic car that could help me. She took me to (WWC), where I was registered, shared the doctor, I had an X-ray and saw the my story and got counseling. “They gave dentist and they stabilized me.” me a referral to go to the police station and they [Police] took my statement. Sister Edith Namba, Clinical Supervisor The hospital and Well Women Clinic all at WWC says: “FHI 360 has done great served me really well.” work at the community level. It makes such a big diference having Community Working out of the Western Highlands Mobilizers to escort survivors from their provincial capital, Mount Hagen, a small homes to the clinic. Some people are city of 46,000, KLOM has focused on coming from really remote places and improving access to the vital services they have no idea where to go and having for community members by making sure community mobilizer escorting them that the most appropriate mechanisms makes the experience much simpler.” are in place and by making women aware that the services are there for Since the attack that broke her jaw, them specifcally and not just for their Priscilla has received continuous husbands, children or relatives. FHI counseling from KLOM Community 360 has supported the establishment Mobilizers to help her cope with her of provincial coordination meetings, situation. linking services for GBV. KLOM provides bus fare in some cases as well, and Pricilla concludes “This is such good each community has also organized a work. The Community Mobilizers have vehicle to transport survivors to clinics. helped me so much and I’m really Community Mobilizers accompany these thankful to them. If they hadn’t been survivors to the service sites and help there to help, it would have cost a lot of them navigate the referral pathway. money, there would have been retaliation and my family would have taken revenge. KLOM also works closely with police Involving the police and the community Family Sexual Violence Units (FSVUs) in leaders helped with solving the problem Mount Hagen, ofering training to help as quickly as possible to get peace police ofcers understand how best restored in our family.” to support survivors of violence. One staf member, Serah, explains how the centers balance women’s fear, the need for services and the tangled traditional perceptions that prevent them from seeking legal protection. “When I was at the front desk, I would turn people away if they didn’t want their husband arrested, but now I know that there are better ways to manage survivors,” she says. Serah also conceded that more women survivors of GBV are now accessing the police for help. They know we pay attention, listen and do our job. Success Story Ending the injustice of patriarchy

MT. HAGEN Andrew Kawage is a male advocate from Pultimb, a small village close to 4 Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea’s Western Highlands. He works for FHI 360’s Komuniti Lukautim Meri Project (KLOM), “Community Looking After Women.” This area of PNG struggles with violence against women and Andrew has seen what it can do to families: women pulled of the road or pulled out of buses, raped and beaten.

This violence grows out of age-old patriarchal beliefs that keep women These deeply ingrained values and subordinate to men in this remote tribal traditions mean that women are area, where livelihoods are stagnant and subjected to violence and often can’t mostly based on small-scale agriculture. speak out or participate actively in The belief is that men hold the power society, and they are prevented from and they should be in leadership roles. accessing vital services. One way this manifests itself is in bride price. Traditionally, bride price is paid by To address these injustices, FHI 360 the groom’s family to thank the bride’s partnered with local organizations in family for “giving” their daughter to Western Highlands in 2012 to launch them. The bride is expected to give KLOM. The project doesn’t take the birth to the future tribe members and position that men are to be viewed to generate wealth for the family by simply as perpetrators of violence, looking after the garden and the pigs. however. Rather, they are a larger part of This has not always been seen as a ending violence against women. KLOM disempowering practice toward women makes all women and men, boys and girls but as a celebration and an enhancement central to its prevention interventions. of the tribe. However, the practice Moving a community toward change has been abused for some time and means demonstrating how to get there, viewed as fnancial transaction with no and for KLOM this means ensuring consideration of the right of the bride. that women and men are recruited as Anita Powiong, from the Family community mobilisers, ensuring that Sexual Violence Unit at Mount Hagen there are action groups and trainings for Police Station, shares how bride price everyone in the community. reinforces this imbalance: “In Western Highlands, there is a strong culture Men’s forums are a central element in of very high bride price. This means KLOM, where male members of the that men believe that women are their community can talk about patriarchal property and they can do what they want issues that continue to the subordination to (women).” women and thus negatively afect the quality of life for families. The theory has seen considerable transformation is that power and patriarchy are best since the men’s discussion forums and dismantled from within, so men need trainings ofered by KLOM. to be at the heart of the change, which is why the men’s discussion “The trainings taught us that women forums are key. Engaging men builds have the same rights as men, they can a sense of ownership and personal talk, they can go to school and they investment in the solution. The inherent can drive. This was a big eye-opener peer motivation is also a powerful to people in the community. All the force to create a culture of collective magistrates, councilors and church responsibility. representatives are working together and speaking out at the forums. This Forum discussions have centered has created a big change.” He says the around the links between family magistrate in Kotna now recognizes planning, violence, bride price, economic women’s rights and uses them when empowerment of women, laws that making decisions about village court protect women, and what they all mean hearings. This magistrate provides an for men when taken together. These opportunity during these hearings for forums are for men, but women are Wilson to speak about the diferent now occasionally welcomed as guest services available if people in the speakers.. Forum design is inspired by community need help. the cultural practice of “Hausman,” a space just for men to talk about issues “Rates of GBV are going down now,” that are generally held to be mostly for Wilson says. men but which have implications that beneft women and children. In this In Pultimb too there have been changes environment, men have an opportunity in the community. Community Mobilizer to move away from the notion that Judy Wakandi, also employed by KLOM, violence against women is a women’s says: “Young men and women are helping problem and toward the notion that it is in the community, building houses an issue that concerns men and the tribe. and looking after their families rather than hanging around, smoking, getting Many of the men who participate in this together in groups, asking for money and forum are leaders in the community, such causing violence.” as magistrates, ward counselors, church leaders and educated men representing Andrew Kawage has also seen signifcant their organizations. These are the change in how women in Pultimb are community members who can create treated: “Women are now participating change through their leadership roles. in church activities and burials, and are teachers. We can see now that there In Kotna, Western Highlands, a is freedom of opportunity to speak. It community with an exceptionally high is now understood that women can rate of reported incidents of GBV, contribute something that men can’t.” Community Mobilizer Wilson Onga But the biggest change in ending This community attitude shift on violence against women and girls violence against women is because, generated by KLOM is that men are now through KLOM, communities have speaking out and condemning violence now seen that community safety and against women. In a family wellbeing wellbeing starts with taking care of study that FHI 360 conducted in 2014, women and children. two years after KLOM began, 84.6 percent of men in Western Highlands “I realized that our ideologies and reported that they had intervened at customs are not right and that we have least once to stop a family member been repressing women and children for hitting his wife, partner or child. years,” Andrew Kawage says. “We must respect women and girls and give them And in that same study, 51.3 percent space to speak.” of men reported that women came to their house following abuse by husband/ partner for help in the past year.

Also in the family wellbeing study, 92.2 percent of men in Western Highlands said that they would intervene if they witnessed violence against women and girls in their communities. Success Story Knowledge is Power in the Drive to Improve Services for GBV Survivors

MT. HAGEN Sister Edith Namba is passionate about serving women survivors of gender- 5 based violence (GBV). She is the clinical supervisor of the Well Women Clinic (WWC) at Mount Hagen Hospital. Her clinic ofers vital, high quality care to all survivors of GBV in Mount Hagen, capital of Western Highlands province, deep in the mountainous interior of Papua New Guinea. At WWC, women survivors can get counseling for intimate partner violence, can attend group support sessions, and can have monthly case review discussions, among other services.

It wasn’t always this way. In much translates to “community taking care of of Papua New Guinea, traditional women.” Through KLOM, FHI 360 began perceptions of the position of women in supporting WWC to ofer training on society run deep, and women have been rape management and trauma counseling critically disempowered by patriarchy. to clinic staf and Community Mobilizers Add to this a culture of tribal retribution, so that they understood the best referral disafected youth who turn to alcohol, pathway for each survivor depending on and meager livelihoods, and the their needs. The Project also provided environment is ripe for violence, often bus fare for survivors to get to the clinic, directed at the most vulnerable: women. ensuring that fnancial barriers should not stop them from returning for follow- Sister Edith remembers before 2009, up. Another major component was to when there was no dedicated service for build a stronger referral pathway from survivors of GBV in Mount Hagen. Instead police, to the courts, to public services they were seen in hospital outpatient and ultimately to WWC itself. KLOM also facilities along with all the other funded quarterly stakeholder meetings patients. There was no privacy and little to improve the referral pathway so that counseling, as most staf were untrained there was one coordinated service for and couldn’t ofer the care that GBV all survivors. The project supported survivors needed, from administering WWC set up a men’s desk as well, for post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PEP) male advocacy, and provided technical to trauma counseling. A GBV survivor assistance on proper documentation of was treated as any other patient. In the patients and survivors. Family Wellbeing Study by FHI 360, only 13 percent of women participants “It makes such a big diference having who had experienced violence said they Community Mobilizers escort survivors visited a hospital. from their homes to the clinic,” says WWC Manager, Sister Rose Lesley. In 2012, in response to this lack of “Some people are coming from really comprehensive care and services, FHI remote places and they have no idea 360 launched the Komuniti Lukautim where to go and it makes the experience Ol Meri project, or KLOM, which much simpler.” Staf have created monthly activities they return to the clinic, you can really to improve quality of care provided at see the diference. Having a child-friendly the clinic. These include monthly group environment is really important; it’s like counseling for intimate partner violence child therapy. It gives them a diferent and group sessions that focus on perspective of what going to hospital is working with women so that they don’t like. This has been a great change.” feel alone or ashamed about what they have experienced. There are monthly FHI 360 is currently extending this work case review discussions for all clinical to fve schools in Western Highlands staf to consider complicated cases in to educate pre-school and elementary detail as well, based on the premise children on abuse. that engaging all staf at all entry points through case discussions creates a Sister Rose refects on the changes culture of learning. brought about by KLOM.

Among these activities is one designed “We were trained as general nurses to address a chilling statistic: children originally, so the training from FHI account for the highest incidence of 360 has really helped us,” she says. rape. The activity is playtime as group “Previously we just required knowledge therapy for children 5 to 8 years old, to around medicines and injections. We are teach them about child abuse. Children now looking holistically at survivors and learn about safety and they get to know treating them psychologically, physically the team in these sessions, so they don’t and mentally.” feel like they are speaking to strangers. Here is where KLOM and the staf of Sister Edith says, “knowledge is power, WWC deal with the most vulnerable. and by building our skills, knowledge and The clinic now has a children’s corner attitudes, it has improved the services and children are given a stufed animal that we provide to GBV survivors.” and a pillbox for their medications with characters on it. The number of survivors accessing the WWC has now increased to over “We tell them that they can tell the teddy 400 per year, and after two years bear their secrets, and the pillbox acts as of implementation, 59.1 percent of an adherence tool so that they complete participants in the Family Wellbeing their medication. By the end, most don’t Study who had experienced violence want to leave,” says Sister Edith. “When said they had visited a hospital. Success Story “Honoring tradition in extended family structures while trying to identify true family violence without creating a family dispute”

VANIMO 6 Pauline Tivu lives in Lido, a picturesque village in Papua New Guinea’s remote West Sepik Province, 30 minutes from the border with West Papua, Indonesian territory. Livelihoods are scant and most people make a living growing vegetables. Attitudes are largely traditional and this dictates relations between men and women, which are not equal. Women sufer gender-based violence, which is exacerbated by unemployment and substance abuse among youth and adults alike.

“Life wasn’t really good in the when they reached the border crossing, community,” says Audrey Talis, a Serah told the border ofcers that Community Mobilizer in Lido. “You could Scholar was her child. She planned to always hear early morning shouting and claim the child forever without telling her often see people arguing with each other natural family.” down the street and fghting. Husbands would use weapons and sharp items In addition to grandparents being like bush knives or sticks to attack their primary caregivers, it is common in PNG wives.” for distant family members to take care of children from their extended family. In this environment, Pauline had been This made it easy for Serah to cross raising her 5-year-old granddaughter, the border with Scholar and difcult Scholar. Families in Papua New Guinea for Pauline to fght to get her back, and are often extended and it is not some family members felt that there was uncommon for grandparents to be no issue in Serah taking Scholar. This primary caregivers of children. This blurring of paternal rights makes it very arrangement was not typically a source difcult to ensure the safety of children. of family confict. West Sepik being on the border, there But in November 2014 all that changed. is a real threat for women and girls, Just before Christmas, Serah, a distant of being kidnapped or taken without family member, had taken Scholar to permission. visit for the festive period, with Pauline’s permission. But Serah never returned Pauline was distraught and didn’t know with Scholar. what to do or where to turn. With limited resources and knowledge about how to “Scholar had no idea what was seek justice, she needed an advocate to happening,” Pauline says. “I gave turn to, for hope that there was some permission to Serah to take her for protection for women and children in Christmas and New Year to West Papua, communities. Or was there no chance to the Indonesian part of New Guinea. But get Scholar back? But there was a chance. Just two years her mother tongue, Tok Pisin (Pidgin), earlier, in 2012, FHI 360 had begun and could only speak Bahasa Indonesia, implementing Komuniti Lukautim Ol the language in West Papua. Although Meri (KLOM), a project funded by the Scholar did not initially appear to have Australian Department of Foreign been harmed when she was in West Afairs and Trade (DFAT). Working in Papua, since returning she has shared Western Highlands and West Sepik with her grandmother that she was provinces, KLOM sought to end gender- mistreated. based violence (GBV) and human rights violations. In June 2015, KLOM had “There were times that they would beat recruited Audrey Talis as a Community her up, swear at her and they would tell Mobilizer, to work in Lido. Community her that her mother was a prostitute,” mobilizers like Audrey were selected Audrey says. “There was a lot of verbal by local leaders as people who could abuse where they told her that her be trusted to help anyone afected by mother conceived her ‘on the road,’ an violence, inequality or injustice. expression for a child conceived with a man who did not marry the mother. I am In August 2015, Pauline Tivu came to really grateful that her grandmother is a Audrey after hearing about her work very strong woman and fought to get her through interventions, home visits and back.” one-on-one discussions. FHI 360 staf in Vanimo then worked with Audrey to It is too early to tell the lasting damage get the Indonesian consulate and PNG that Scholar has sufered but it is migration involved. clear that Pauline is happy to have her grandchild back. “I knew it was going to be difcult for Pauline, as Scholar was living in another “Audrey really helped and now I have country,” Audrey says. “We are used the child back,” Pauline says. “Scholar to being traditional border crossers so recognized me when she arrived and people move back and forth and children hugged me. I am so happy that she is often cross with no proper documents. I back safely with us.” shared the case with the FHI 360 team to get assistance and there was a lot of Audrey continues to visit Scholar and consultation and mediation between the Pauline and Scholar will soon be going to two parties.” school.

In November 2015, Serah reluctantly returned Scholar during a customary event after Pauline spoke to her personally. She had almost forgotten Success Story Putting new skills on safe motherhood to use

VANIMO Cathy Napri used to think that it was OK for women to do heavy work when 7 they were still pregnant, to carry frewood on their heads and work in the family vegetable plot. This was common in Krisa, population 1,000, in West Sepik, the remote province on Papua New Guinea’s northern coast.

Krisa is one day’s walk from Vanimo, violence (GBV). Funded by the Australian capitol of West Sepik, or 45 minutes by Department of Foreign Afairs and Land Rover on a bumpy dirt track that Trade (DFAT), KLOM has established isn’t always passable. Since 2006, Krisa community mobilizers to help raise has had no functioning aid post, forcing awareness about gender-based violence people to travel this difcult route for (GBV) and to work toward attitude health services. change. The community mobilizers have worked with community leaders As in much of PNG, knowledge in Krisa to set up Action Groups that are made about how women can stay healthy and up of leaders, counselors, pastors safe during pregnancy is limited. It is still and magistrates. Those engaged by not uncommon for women to forego rest the intervention are given training in or forego a proper diet while pregnant, practical skills, in supporting people and to smoke, drink beer, take drugs or afected by violence, in safe motherhood, chew buai (betel). Neither have husbands in frst aid and in money management. always looked after their pregnant wives, ofering little help in getting them to KLOM trainings have focused on the hospital and occasionally beating them. key challenges identifed by community mobilisers and action groups to prevent Nor was birth spacing a known concept. violence against women and girls Daniel Kapu, 37, should know. He has (VAWG). These trainings include group seven children and says, ”Looking back, I discussions, drawings and role-plays to can see that having our seven children so engage all community members. They close together could have killed my wife.” also engage both men and women, to emphasize that violence against women What happened for the future, after the is not a “women’s issue,” but an issue child was born, was equally a mystery, that concerns men and the community how to save money for school fees, for as a whole. example. The Safe Motherhood component Prospects for meeting national targets, educates both men and women about health or otherwise, were slim. how to keep women safe during this But Since October 2012, FHI360’s critical nine-month period. During the Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) training, men and women are separated project has been working in Krisa to so that messages can be targeted to bring essential skills to the community each group, thus creating a safe place for with the goal of reducing gender-based both sexes to speak. Sheila Nakama, 34, is a community away: “If there are no roads we have to mobilizer in Krisa. Through combining fnd other ways and think about if we the skills that she learned in the First have a way to carry them somewhere Aid and Safe Motherhood components that’s accessible.” of KLOM, she has been able to make a lasting impact on her fellow One of the essential trainings in KLOM community members. is the Money Minded training, which gives attendees the opportunity to “I was able to assist a mother giving look at how they spend their money, birth on the ground. She was having think about how to budget and work difculties so I helped her with the out how they can save. Daniel, also birth. When the baby was born, she now an Action Group member, put his wasn’t breathing, so I gave her CPR, newfound skills to great use: “I found and eventually she started to cry. Now the Money Minded training really the baby is 1-year-old and it makes me helpful. As a result of the training I really happy to know that I could help have started cattle farming and now and the baby survived,” She says. I have nine cows. Through this new activity I have started to save.” Cathy Napri, now an Action Group member, also refects on her new And on birth spacing, he says: knowledge: “I have learned that if a “After doing the training I realized woman is pregnant she shouldn’t do that spacing of children is really lots of heavy work and that two to important. I have shared with others three months before giving birth she this knowledge about spacing their must rest. This was really new thinking children rather than having one after for me.” the other.”

Her husband Francis now recognizes the role of a husband in ensuring safe motherhood when medical care is far Success Story Changing attitudes in West Sepik

VANIMO Daniel Kapu used to have two wives. This was not uncommon where he 8 lives, in Krisa, a remote village of West Sepik, a heavily forested and sparsely populated province on Papua New Guinea’s north coast forming part of the border with Indonesian New Guinea. Krisa is accessible only by dirt track from Vanimo, the capital of West Sepik.

“With both wives together in the house lifetime. Basic human rights, particularly there were lots of arguments about food, for women, was viewed as a foreign idea. money and the children. There was a lot Enter FHI 360’s Komuniti Lukautim Ol of jealousy and the two wives would often Meri (KLOM), or “Community Looking fght,” Daniel says. After Women,” a project funded by the But gender inequality and the resulting Australian Department of Foreign Afairs domestic strife were not the only and Trade (DFAT) to address violence problems in Krisa. against women and girls (VAWG) in Papua New Guinea. Since 2012, KLOM has “Many of the young people in the worked in West Sepik to train community community used to take drugs and mobilizers who are selected by the drink home brew,” says Francis Napri, community to help raise awareness about 63. Francis himself has direct personal GBV. The project established teams of experience with Krisa’s troubles. community mobilizers and set up action “One day I was drunk and there was no groups comprised of leaders, counselors, food in the house so I beat my wife with a pastors and magistrates to support tin of fsh.” the mobilizers. This created strong alliances among community mobilizers A study of gender attitudes in West and action groups, who were trained Sepik then confrmed the deeply held and equipped with the skills needed norms that ‘men are superior to women’ to engage the community and bring and that married women are typically about positive change. The project then controlled by their husbands. The began organizing awareness sessions statistics were arresting: 90.4 percent and trainings on targeted subjects for of study participants were of the opinion both men and women, to inform the that a woman needs permission from her community about how to prevent gender- husband or partner before visiting friends based violence (GBV). It has also been and relatives; 47.9 percent of participants working at the institutional level, helping were of the opinion that a woman needs to strengthen health and legal services. permission from her husband or partner before seeking healthcare. In Vanimo, Rodney Dara is a Community Mobilizer two-thirds of women had experienced at the Vanimo urban site, where there physical and sexual violence at the hands are settlements, government services, of men, including their husbands, and the banking and schools. He has taken part data suggests that half of all women will in KLOM GBV training and has seen a have been raped at least once during their change in his community since he started working, at the beginning of 2016. He Rates of violence have since dropped in says: “People were just doing whatever Krisa. they wanted to do, drinking, smoking, KLOM volunteer Manuel Kaiyon has seen chewing. Then they were violent and behavior change in Vanimo too. caused trouble.” “Before, women and girls didn’t have But in his role of Community Mobilizer, access to the services that they needed, Rodney now talks with survivors, ofers but now they do. Women can voice their counseling and refers them to service opinions now. Previously, men would providers and to the courts. override women’s decisions but today “Through the Human Rights training I women can make their own decisions and learned a lot, particularly how to deal both men and women are able to discuss, with survivors, as related to their right negotiate and arrive at a decision that is to protection, access to services and the not harmful to either one. They mutually court of law,” he says. respect one another.”

Since this work began, drug and alcohol Daniel Kapu has made a change as well, as abuse has been dropping and there is a result of the knowledge he gained from much more awareness of GBV. Ward the project. leaders in Vanimo are standing up and “After the training I asked the second saying “No” to violence. wife to go back to her village,” he says. By holding casual chats and hosting home “She was happy to go and we are now visits to hold family discussions, KLOM divorced. I am the example in the village, volunteers have helped in getting the as I realized the harmful and negative community to understand that women impact of having two wives and had to do and girls have not been enjoying their something about it. I was able to resolve it rights. peacefully.”

In Krisa, Francis, now an Action Group In the recent family well-being study member, has seen change too. In 2014 he conducted in (2014) in (West Sepik), 51.2 attended a KLOM training on GBV. percent of men in West Sepik Province now report intervening to stop a family “I learnt how the community has to look member hitting his wife, partner or child. after a woman if she has been raped or is And 45.2 percent of men say that women a survivor of violence. I learnt not to drink have come to their house following or smoke. Before the training I thought abuse by their husband or partner in that it was ok to hit my wife.” the past year. This shift in attitudes He has seen young people’s attitudes and from individuals in the community can behaviors change too. be attributed to work done by KLOM at the individual, community and service “We told them that taking drugs and provider level. alcohol could get them in prison. We counseled them about the harmful and “Now everyone is happy and no one is damaging impact of raping and beating up exposed to violence,” says Daniel. “No one women and that they would be strongly should be.” punished for that behavior that they should stop.” Success Story Tragedy leads to transformation in Leitre

VANIMO Lietre is a remote village in West Sepik Province, on Papua New Guinea’s 9 north coast, accessible only by an hour’s boat ride from Vanimo, the provincial capital. Behind the palm-fringed beach there is a large lily pond with thatched houses scattered along its edge and lush jungle in the distance. Pigs roam freely on the beach and children play in their dugout canoes nearby. But this picture or tranquility belies the issues faced by this community of 1000 people. Francis Lakel is a 25-year-old Community This was partly due to Lietre’s isolation. Mobilizer here and he says that the There were no decent road links to village has experienced high levels of Vanimo and the lack of jobs had created gender-based violence in the past, a surge in disenfranchised youth and including rape, and that many youths unemployed men who had to scrape had turned to alcohol and drugs. Young up work on small farms for income. men had been increasingly living lives of Without decent jobs, young men violence and had grown accustomed to turned to smoking the readily available treating girls as their property because marijuana that grows in the bush, or to of traditional perceptions that girls are making home brew from fermented fruit, subordinate to men. rather than working. The combination of drug abuse and alcohol consumption “Men would see girls as unequal and then lead to extreme aggression and mistreat them with no regard to their unpredictability in the men. rights. At home, there was a lot of child abuse. Many parents would give work Fernando, another local resident, has to very young children, who would be six children. He says: “Once when I was expected to look after the house and high I came home looking for food but their siblings and who would endure I didn’t fnd it. I kicked my wife in the physical violence if they didn’t.” stomach. They took her to the hospital. At that time, she was three months For women it was exceptionally hard, pregnant and I didn’t realize that by as Maureen Lowe, another Community hurting her I had also spoilt my baby boy. Mobilizer, says. “Life was restricted and I was so sorry.” The pregnancy ended in women were afraid to walk around. miscarriage. There were lots of men smoking drugs and women weren’t free to move safely Then, in July 2013, FHI 360’s Komuniti from place to place. We spent most of Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) project, the time inside the house. There were no funded by the Australian Department of police around so men could play up and Foreign Afairs and Trade, began working abuse women with no consequences.” with people in Lietre on multiple issues related to gender-based violence and human rights abuse, particularly for high and I would cause problems because women and girls. A Family Wellbeing my mind would just turn of. I would try Study performed by FHI 360 found that to recall my brain again but I couldn’t.” 64.3 percent of men and 86.5 percent of women in West Sepik thought that it was But since the KLOM project, there have acceptable to slap or punch a child. Just been signifcant transformations in over 7 percent of men and 42.6 percent Leitre. Rape and physical assault cases of women responded that they thought have dropped because men now know it was acceptable to use weapons, such they can be punished under the law as a stick, to discipline a child. where previously they thought that the law would not be enforced. They are The project trained and established also more aware of the damaging efects a team of community mobilizers of violence against women and are like Francis and Maureen, who were willing to change their behavior. When a selected by the community to help raise violent situation occurs now, villagers are awareness about GBV and to work intervening much more often. toward behavior change by providing home visits. The project emphasized “We have seen the change,” Francis informing community members about says. “When people have a problem they the laws that protect women and that come to see us and report the problem punish anyone who commits violent acts to village leaders and ward counselors. against them. Now when people see violence they try to help rather than just stand by and In his role as a community mobilizer, watch. Stopping violence in the family Francis met Fernando.* He knew that has become a community responsibility Fernando was a GBV perpetrator, as he and it is working.” had heard stories of the violence that was occurring “behind closed doors.” The FHI 360 family well-being study In PNG there is a strong culture of now shows that 83.3 percent of men not intervening in family violence. But in West Sepik province said that they Francis spent time talking to Fernando would intervene if they witnessed about how he needed to reconsider his violence against women and girls in their behavior. Fernando said he had been communities. neglected as a child and was raised by his Fernando says now: “For the past three relatives, moving from place to place. He years I have completely stopped drinking had begun marijuana use young, and it and smoking. My life has changed. I can continued into adulthood. see the bad efect that it had on my wife “The efect made me hungry, made and my family. I needed to change to get my mind switched of and I couldn’t my life back, to save my brain and to be recall what I was doing. It also made me able to look after my wife and children.” angry. Sometimes I would hit my wife, * Perpetrator’s name has been changed sometimes with a stick, sometimes with to protect his identity. my fst. Sometimes my temper would be Success Story Reigniting women’s advocacy in West Sepik province

VANIMO 10 Juddie Saroya, has worked with women in West Sepik, a mountainous border province on the north coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG), for 15 years. She has a deep understanding of the complex cultural challenges faced by women in this little-developed region, where livelihoods depend largely on the rivers and forests and where relations between men and women are dominated by tradition. Gender based violence is common. “In West Sepik, because of customs and traditions, men are in control and women don’t exercise their rights.”

According to the Family Wellbeing FHI 360 launched the Komuniti Lukautim Study conducted by FHI 360 in 2014, Meri Project (KLOM), “Community in Vanimo, the capital of West Sepik, Looking After Women,” in 2012, 69.1 percent of men and 50 percent of addressing violence against women and women considered the rape of a wife or girls in Papua New Guinea, with funding regular partner to be “normal.” Almost from the Australian Department of 94 percent of participants in Western Foreign Afairs and Trade (DFAT). Highlands province also did not view non- consensual sex within marriage as rape The project has established gender (marital rape), as many considered it the learning forums to bring together leaders duty of a woman “to obey her husband.” and infuential individuals to bring Many believed that refusing would be about change for women and girls in viewed as “culturally improper.” (This the province. The forums are based on number was 56.7 percent in West Sepik.) specifc GBV themes and guest speakers are invited to share their experiences The study also showed that 34.4 with attendees during informative percent of men and 48.1 percent of and impassioned discussions. These women in West Sepik Province thought forums are organized to engage service that women who are beaten by their providers and individuals who have husbands should not seek assistance infuence within their network to link because “that is a private matter.” with others and discuss issues that afect everyone. It is more about improving “Men think that they are the main services so that it is coordinated for the breadwinners,” Juddie says. “They survivors who are using it. believe they can go out and do anything that they want and they don’t have “The frst time I attended the Gender to think about the wife and children. I Learning Forum I saw the importance want women to have opportunities, to of being a woman, a mother and a wife,” use their initiative and talent to make a Juddie says. “I saw what the importance change in their lives. Women have been of gender is, that something needed suppressed because of the customs and to be done about violence and that culture of PNG.” survivors need services to support them. I could see that perhaps I could use the But Juddie is not content with just knowledge that I have gained to get re-establishing the Council of Women. something set up.” She wants to take this empowerment opportunity a step further, to bring At the forum, the seed was sown in about a major cultural shift in local-level Juddie’s mind to make a diference. She government, toward equality between decided to work toward reinstating the women and men. She wants women Council of Women in Vanimo, a women’s to contest parliamentary local-level afairs body that had been dormant government positions in 2017, calling for nearly a decade. She busied herself for education for the community and mobilizing women and holding elections empowerment for women so that they within the group, and set her sights on can “rise up and make a diference.” establishing both provincial and district- level councils. “It’s all about challenging the traditional way of thinking and the rigid mindset,” In June 2016, the Vanimo Council caught she says. the attention of the provincial governor, who attended one of their meetings. “Men don’t even see the importance of During this meeting, members told him women being the ones who give birth frst-hand about the issues that women to their children. Women are taken for faced in remote communities and of the granted and treated as subordinate harmful impacts that gender inequality property. This needs to change.” had on their lives and their families. The governor “took onboard” their challenges “I’m going to train people.” and pledged to make funds available to help. 2012 TO 2016 Komuniti Lukautim Ol Meri (KLOM) Community looking after women