Vol 3 Issue 4
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Vol 3. Issue 4 | OCT—DEC 2018 Femili PNG assists survivors of family and sexual violence to access the services they need. Quarterly Newsletter In this issue… FPNG Outreach team with the Omega Primary School Early Learners class and teachers during child abuse awareness session. Awareness on Safety Rules It was an exciting two days for the students at Prior to the awareness session at Omega Omega Primary School as Femili PNG Outreach Primary School, Femili PNG Outreach team team visited the school on 6 and 7 November approached the Lae District Education Manager, 2018 to provide awareness to the students and Mr. Kaumu Laga, for his approval to approach teachers. primary schools in Lae and provide awareness. Mr. Laga supported the idea and requested that 20 days of activism Launching in Bulolo...pg2 The awareness included information on what a presentation be done during the Head child abuse is, the rights and responsibilities of Teachers meeting so that the teachers are a child, and video screening of safety rules on informed. how to protect themselves, and the referral pathway. Two sessions were done each day to After the presentation to 26 Head Teachers two groups of students, the Toddlers and from primary schools in Lae, the Head Teachers Elementary classes combined, and lower and also shared the same concerns regarding the upper primary (grade 3 to 7) combined. increasing number of child abuse cases. Some of the teachers talked about the situations they Because of the increasing number of child deal with on a daily basis with their students. FSV Awareness in the workplace ..pg2 abuse cases, Femili PNG Outreach team wanted to focus more on providing child safety Many of the Head Teachers who attended, awareness to children so they can protect including Mr. Laga, supported the idea for themselves from being abused. As in most ongoing awareness sessions to be delivered to cases, the child is abused by someone they students and teaches on the issue of child know or trust, and they do not know what to abuse, and also family and sexual violence. do. So the aim of the awareness sessions focused on schools will be to help the children The Outreach team is looking forward to understand and identify abuse, and know what working in partnership with schools in Lae to to do when they encounter a situation that may reach more children in 2019. bring harm to them. Zero Tolerance to all forms of violence...pg 4 www.femilipng.org 1 Vol 3. Issue 4 | OCT—DEC 2018 20 Days of Activism in Morobe Province FSV Awareness in the workplace In line with the theme for the 2018 These included Laga Industries, campaign, ‘’End Gender-based the National Security Training violence in the World of Work,’’ College, Hornibrooks NGI, and Femili PNG, with the Morobe staff of Trukai Industries at Erap Family and Sexual Violence Action Farm outside Lae. Committee (FSVAC), have worked in partnership to provide Many people in the workforce do awareness sessions on the issue of not have time to access family and sexual violence to information on the issue of FSV working individuals. and were really grateful that the Universal Children’s Day celebration, and launching of the 20 days of Femili PNG Outreach team and activism in Bulolo District, Morobe Province. From November to December Morobe FSVAC team have gone to 2018, Femili PNG Outreach team their workplace to provide this Launching in Bulolo with the Morobe FSVAC awareness. Many have requested Secretariat Ms. Thelma Hungito for ongoing awareness sessions. The 20 Days of Activism was Femili PNG participated with other provided awareness sessions at a launched on 20 November 2018 stakeholders, including students number of business houses in Lae. during the Universal Children’s Day and teachers from five primary celebration in Bulolo District, schools in the district. Morobe Province. The theme for the Universal Children’s Day for The event was organised by the 2018 was, ‘’Children today, our Morobe Family and Sexual keepers tomorrow’’. Violence Action Committee (FSVAC) with the support of the The event took place at the St. Harmony Hidden Valley Mine. The Peters Primary School, and was event included presentations from attended by over 1000 children, the students, stakeholders, teachers, including parents and the including Femili PNG’s Outreach general public in Bulolo District. team. Awareness provided to 30 Hornibrooks staff in Lae on 6 December 2018. Walking together against violence in Lae As part of the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2018, Femili PNG staff participated in the walk against violence in Lae that was organised by the Morobe Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee. The walk started in the morning from the Lae Metropolitan Command Sonu Sigob building in town, and ended at Eriku where those who participated handed out brochures and provided information about family and sexual violence. Those who participated in this activity included the Morobe FSVAC, Lae Police, Family and Sexual Violence Unit (FSVU), Sexual Offence Squad (SOS), Juvenile Justice, Femili PNG, Lae Bikers Association, the Morobe Youth Empowerment Organisation, and residents within Lae city. It was good to see a lot of young men participate in the walk, and also played a part in doing awareness-raising sessions with the general public at Eriku bus stop. The partners and people of Lae continue to unite in taking a stand against all forms of violence. www.femilipng.org 2 Vol 3. Issue 4 | OCT—DEC 2018 CLIENT STORY *Names have been changed to protect the identity and safety of the clients. TINA* GETS HELP AFTER ONGOING ABUSE This is the story of Tina*, a mother of one who PNG assisted Tina with an Interim Protection has gone through an ongoing ordeal of Order (IPO) in April 2017, and after two weeks, violence since she was married. it was successfully converted to a Permanent Order (PO). Tina and her husband had been In March 2017, she was referred to Femili PNG separated, however there was no proper by the Family Support Centre (FSC) at Angau, documentation to prove their separation. The with a broken bone that she may not fully perpetrator cooperated with the court and recover from. Her child was also taken from confirmed that he had been abusing Tina and her by the perpetrator’s parents. that they were separated. Some partners from the police relaxing with Femili Femili PNG helped Tina to access the available Femili PNG supported Tina with a sewing PNG staff during their staff debrief. services such as the Welfare and the Police machine and materials to help her get on her Family and Sexual Violence Unit (FSVU) feet. She currently sews and sells meri concerning her child. Upon Welfare’s request, blouses. FSVU assisted in recouping the child. Mediation was later conducted by Welfare in Tina recently reunited with her husband and the best interest of the child. they have just had a new baby. With the PO in place, her husband no longer abuses her. In coordination with the District Court, Femili SURVIVOR GETS HELP THROUGH BEL ISI PNG CMC Clare* and her husband had a great first year she was unemployed and living with her of marriage. Everything was fine, until she family, the perpetrator did not support her became pregnant with their child. and their child. Pilgrim SDA church in Lae continues to support FSV survivors at the safe accommodations with their That was when everything changed. Clare’s Clare finally got a new job and could support quarterly donations. husband restricted her from socialising and herself and her child. However, she still lived told her to keep to herself. He even bashed in fear , as she had been assaulted in public by her while she was pregnant. the perpetrator. After Clare gave birth to their child, the A counsellor at Clare’s new workplace told her perpetrator (Clare’s husband) started to have to get help from a safe house in Port Moresby, affairs with other women, and didn’t come which then referred her to the Family Support home some nights. Centre (FSC). FSC referred Clare to Bel is PNG Case Management Centre (CMC), operated by Clare recalled her husband using anything he Femili PNG, to get help. could find around the house to hit her with, including garden tools like spades. ‘’He also After a few weeks working with Clare, the got a drill and pushed it into my head,’’ Clare Case Worker assigned to assist her helped said when she showed the scar on her head Clare obtain an Interim Protection Order (IPO), Trukai Industries continues to support Femili PNG after she got eight stiches. which was later successfully converted to a with three bales of rice to assist its clients Permanent Order (PO). Regardless of the ongoing abuse, Clare continued to pray and believed her husband Clare is grateful for the case management would change and be a good husband and support to access other available services. She father. He finally did change, but it wasn’t for said, ‘’I was always scared, but now feel free, long. and dress confidently.’’ Clare had to take her child, who was just a Femili PNG’s Case Worker will continue to toddler, to stay with her family because the support Clare in accessing assistance from the perpetrator threw all her belongings out of Welfare and Public Solicitor‘s office to get the house. Clare endured the ongoing abuse custody and maintenance support for her for over four years. She had also lost her child. previous job because of the perpetrator, and Zenag continues to support Femili PNG clients with a was unemployed for a while.