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Really nice to hear about these initiatives. I've been following the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cisaruarefugeelearningcentre/" rel="nofollow">Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre on Facebook</a> for some time, which is the one you mention in West Java I believe, and it is really wonderful to see what they are doing. It's also great to see their connections with Australian teachers associations and international schools in Jakarta - it just further shows that there is broad-based community support for what refugees are experiencing despite the toxic rhetoric of the Australian government. It makes a lot of sense to support refugee children with education for so many reasons - if they are settled, they won't be years behind in their schooling. Schools are important parts of communities, which seems even more important in marginalised communities. And having something for them to do each day surely has mental health and social benefits.

The best read of the day! Congratulations Robyn and Darryl on expressing the sentiments of a number of scientists who can totally relate to this. For us who grew up in the Global era, these times of exclusion and self-centeredness evoke a lot of apprehension and disappointment! Therefore it's good to see that all hope is not lost, and there are ways this can be fixed, but only if we take positive action now!

My observation over 30 years of advocacy on women's issues regarding domestic violence, GBV, CEDAW, FSV and Children's issues on CRC and all forms of abuse is such that at least in PNG when planning to involve men on a long term base there are several areas women leaders should concentrate. a) there are a very few men in society who have natural and in-built interest on women's issues. It is in your best interest to identify among mature men, those who had been victims of similar situations as children. b) when you have identified these men, they become your best ambassadors to influence other men known to them through their social affiliations whether in sports, music, politics, academy, work mate etc... c) acknowledge in a special way the 'long term participation of men as male advocates among you' through constant and continued invitations to your activities, provide small incentives like traveling, presenting papers in workshops (they do not have to be lawyers, doctors or politicians, just ordinary men), leading discussions on specific topics to address common social issues, making encouraging comments, allowing them to be recognized through community social promotional activities - male advocate of the year, Champion of GVB etc... Especially in PNG but also in other societies, men are attracted to good food on the table and a little cash incentive, not much, but let him feel he is being recognized as a man supporting women's advocacy. I am sharing with you as a child victim and later as a mature man trying to assist women in my country. Men who are invited will come, they will mingle around, listen and when there is no incentive, the general feeling is 'ah, em toktok bilong ol meri ya', when they leave, you have lost him. I share with you as the longest male advocate before and during the establishment of the Eastern Highlands Family Voice's as a member of the Board of Directors, as first chairman of the FSVAC in Goroka, as founder of the PNG's National Federation of Catholic Men and as a Champion peace brochure in the community in Eastern Highlands to this day. In PNG the two longest male advocates remain as Lorence Funmat of the Kokopo Police station in East New Britain Province (he is from New Ireland) and I am from Manus, a researcher in childhood diseases with the PNG Institute of Medical Research based in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province. Other men have come and gone, either because it is a requirement within their employment (which must be encouraged) or because they have just come to 'see whats happening' and 'whats in it for them'. Treasure the small number of long term male advocates you have among you and the scale of injustice in society will improve. Gerard Saleu Goroka Papua New Guinea

Well done Robyn and Darryl You mix an excellent analysis of the current situation (globally) with politics and social trends and views on science and its acceptance. We now suffer on one hand an almost religious zeal around science and technologies as solutions to our myriad and growing problems, that you highlight but I fear science is not capable of solving basic human weaknesses, emotional confusion, fear, unpredictability and anti-social and anti- environment behaviours which lie at the root of many of the modern challenges. The development of laagers at different scales including academic ones and all of their unfortunate prejudice and discrimination is a byproduct and we must resist this withdrawal into the monastery! I share your view on academic humility (if there is such a thing lurking somewhere!) as a powerful force to reinvigorate the connection between the teacher and the student and society at large. And it would be a great thing if some of our more enlightened politicians would take a stand and help to re-build the relationship between science and society, especially targeting those less fortunate and marginalised. They need good science more than any.

Please be mindful of your wording on the title. Not "Men". It should be "Some Men". Good article though.

Really agree there is so much joy to be had and understanding to be gained from learning a second language. When I was working in Indonesia (in the private sector, before jumping to development land) I really knuckled down to try to get to a good conversational level. It allowed me to have so many interesting conversations with people from all walks of life as I travelled across the archipelago in annual leave-sized chunks, and it really deepened my interest in how systems and structures and policies affect people's lives. So in a round-about way it was language that sparked my interest in development as much as anything else. Also I really love learning those words that don't exist in other languages! My favourites in Indonesian are 'jayus' (the telling of a joke that is so unfunny or delivered so poorly that you end up laughing anyway) and 'gemes' (something so cute that you want to squish it).

The participation of women in peace negotiations & grassroots/women's organizations in confidence-building, transitional justice/ healing & reconciliation & alternative dispute resolution schemes cannot be over-emphasized.

Mark, you nailed it! The essay reminded me of my experiences with international volunteers whilst working with CUSO and VSO in PNG. I was one of a very few people who had the privilege of seeing and experiencing such differences in language and culture both from an in-country (host community) perspective as well as from a pre-departure orientation perspective for international development volunteers. I was fortunate to have been part of an AVI pre-departure briefing organised by Scope Global for international volunteers leaving for placements in the Pacific Islands whilst studying at ANU. These experiences have certainly made me more appreciative and understanding of differing development perspectives both from the global north and the global south. Thanks Mark.

Thanks for highlighting this important disease burden, Ian. Tobacco is one of the leading contributors to the burden of disease among Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In 2014-15, approximately 39% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over reported being a current daily smoker - well above the global average (29%). In remote communities it is closer to 70%. The Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt AM said last week that ‘Smoking is the most preventable cause of disease and early death among Aboriginal people and accounts for almost one-quarter of the difference in average health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Reducing smoking rates is central to efforts to Closing the Gap in life expectancy’ On the Department of Health funded ‘National Best Practice Unit for Tacking Indigenous Smoking’ programme, we are using evidence to enable service providers to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Last week, the TIS programme released its Preliminary Evaluation report, which found that it is operating effectively; using proven approaches to change smoking behaviours, and is delivering evidence-based local tobacco health promotion activities. There is still a huge gap to close in Australia.

Thanks Robert; it's a skim across the surface of the topic, so I am glad you found it resonated.

I totally agree with this research paper. DDA is a mechanism for service delivery at the district level but it has been politicized by the MP for their own personal gain and to support their own political cronies. The reason is because most of those MP,s dont attend proper induction to understand their roles and responsibility and their functions as a legislature and not service provider, donors or project implementors. When they do understand their role effectively thats where corruption and misconduct in office comes into play and causes lot of poor service delivery to reach rural and marginalize communities.

Nailed it! Should be made compulsory reading in particular for anyone going to live and/or work abroad (where the first language differs, of course).