Comments

Thanks again for your view into understanding GBV. I agree that an in-depth analysis needs to be done to understand the interrelated correlation between modern influences, traditional norms and economic issues and cultural shifts in society like PNG and Solomon Island. On the other end, we also have to point out that GBV prevention and remedial mechanisms and systems established in society sometimes failed to provide adequate and reliable services to the GBV victims, therefore victims often do not seek support. These mechanisms and systems needs to be well resourced and better equipped to provide sustainable support to the individuals and families affected by GBV. Unlike Australia or other developed societies where GBV prevention and remedial agencies and systems are well functioning, places like PNG and Solomon Island still struggling to provide the right balances. For example, the police are the first point of call for the GBV victims, but policemen are not trained to address that, they can only arrest the culprit. While another agency is responsible for proving counselling and comfort support with the support of another related agency, therefore the referral pathways are sometimes not helpful. Even in a country with strong legislation on GBV, enforcement is still a long way to go. We had these challenges in PNG. We really need an in-depth study.

'A Lost Decade' turning into 'A Light Decade'.

This is how the big picture in Waigani does not translate into better services for people in the rural sites; it’s across the country, much worse in places like Western and Gulf, Sepiks and the small Islands. We cannot blame the systems or institutions or policies that they are not working favourably for the rural people, it’s how the commitment from groups and individuals who are tasked and duty-bound to serve are weak or failed to deliver. Adding to this failure is the insufficient allocation of resources like funding to the district or education system in the Province. The promised K10m-K15m DSIP funds only exist on papers, not that much of money landed in the district account at one point in a year, the reason is known to the local MP or the DA. However, groups and individuals at the district and others at the Provincial office failed to make good and efficient use of the limited funding that comes in, they tend to suck on the limited government funding as well with false claims, paper services and one day company style. So the real need like schools, aid posts and roads has gone from bad to worse. This further crippled student access to basic education, sick people die from communicable diseases and poor road system. It is the people who are tasked and duty-bound to do something like the DA and district staff, the MP and people at the Provincial office that is simply not doing their job. Even if they do their job, it was without or with limited funding. Apart from the government provided services like schools and aid posts, the only services that will continue to function and provide needs like basic education and medication will be the churches run or NGOs set up facilities in the rural location. Still the rural people hope for the best every time and lived with what they can make.

Good to see old UPNG comes to light again after the lost of staff and low moral that hit the institution for several years. Credit must go to AusAid for providing the funding and ANU for facilitating the exchanges and the building of capacity once more. UPNG in its hay days was a PNG premium university and I am hopeful the partnership between ANU and UPNG will continue. However, AusAid could extend this honour to include other universities through interactive learning which may include seminars, post graduate research presentations and online tutorials from the UPNG Waigani campus. This will have a wider impact on PNGs higher learning institutions, and form networks that will last a life-time such as done in New Zealand with all major universities and connecting with with USP-Fiji and the National University of Samoa. Just a food for thought.

Thanks John Kalu, what you say makes a lot of sense and it is good to get some feedback from PNG. I agree there needs to be a critical examination of root factors and work to address these pressures for the sake of reducing GBV but also many other harmful effects such as impact on children, food security, poverty and the impact of these root factors on communities the ability of communities to respond to pressures and crises. Such a view can also help us understand better how modern influences, traditional norms and economic issues all influence culture and cultural shifts and how these may contribute to violence. Rather than blaming culture, we need to dig a little deeper.

I agree with you Paul re totally people deserving better and I agree with the system failures. I should have acknowledged that too. I'm not sure we are at odds on anything though. My main point was that Rebecca has told the other narrative that rarely gets told and that we need to remember that people trying to do reforms are themselves dealing with massive challenges, just as our foremothers and forefathers did in our respective countries and that PNG will work this out and that it will take time. One of the lessons we seem unwilling to share is how long it has taken us to reform (as you also note) and for many people in some remote communities in Australia their stories are as sad and challenging as some here. We often behave as though Australia changed quickly. It didn't. And if you are a woman it is still taking a very very long time despite the positive changes!

Rebecca's story was filled with great insights and it is terrific that an Australian NGO is working at the local level in PNG. When reading through the story, it made me reflect on whether I had done enough to integrate such on-the-ground realities when providing high level budget and economic advice in the PNG Treasury (or in the Australian Treasury advising on PNG). The picture painted is one of great individual resilience and perserverance in the face of regular system failure. And this is where I would possibly differ from Elizabeth in that I consider the difficulties in appointing teachers, or the disbursement of budgeted DSIP funds down to the district level, or the appalling response to the drought, as indicative of system failures. Frankly, the people at district level deserve better. We have gone through centuries of change to build governance systems, with more balanced incentives and accountabilities, and we've learned some lessons along the way (although probably not on refugee policy where I strongly agree with Elizabeth's comments). These lessons can, respectfully, be adapted and shared. Rebecca's story is a real reminder of the challenges faced, including the extraordinary complexity of pressures that flow from the wantok system, at the local level. These must be built into good policy design to support positive change for the people of Obura Wonenara.

You have told the story of the daily challenges facing good officers and leaders from Provinces Districts, LLGs in PNG with kindness and honesty Rebecca. This is the reality of the task they all face as they try to improve the delivery of services to the people of PNG for the Government of PNG. GoPNG leaders know these realities too well - they also deal with them at a national level and international level.They are likely part of the chain of phone calls between people in their home village and province dealing with those local events and challenges - most of the GoPNG parliamentary members are from those areas too (over 80%). If we are to make any difference here as expats or international agencies/companies/donors we need to respect the reality of what you have described and work with it, not criticise and judge it. PNG is finding its own way and leading change and it won't look like or be anything like Australia, the US, NZ, the UK, Europe, Singapore, etc any time soon. But then - we took the best part of two centuries to get where we are now. And we have our own challenges - some of them enormous, such as refugees and the way we fail to work respectfully with our own Indigenous communities. And then we expect PNG to help us deal with one of those - the damage done to PNG's image, in the name of helping keep Australians safe and our borders protected, is going to be one of our most shameful historical reflections any time soon. Manus is truly beautiful - like the rest of PNG. How did we allow such harm to be done to PNG? Thank you for naming the challenges the people of PNG deal with every day in their unique and wonderful ways. But even then I fear some readers will interpret your alternative narrative of dealing with challenges as evidence only of failure rather than of resilience and perseverance.

Thank you Carmen for your honest view about Port Moresby and Papua New Guinea in general. Carmen is my colleague researcher at the Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (PNG NRI). She treats all Papua New Guinean employees at NRI with respect. She mingles and associates herself very well with everyone at NRI. She has time to talk to researchers, ancillary staff and even cleaners. It is a pleasure working with her at NRI.

Beautifully articulated Judy - 'gender based violence' rolls off the tongue as though it is universally accepted and understood and that the explanations and the answers are clear and agreed. Your observations about the impact of colonisation and conflict on our own Indigenous communities and other places in the region are well made. There is a collusive silence from our own policy makers, donors, and international development stakeholders about the complexity of violence in its many forms and a lack of willingness to explore other explanations, narratives, solutions, and challenges. Your work in addressing violence is powerful for its respect, candidness, and willingness to work in other ways and contexts and which support women and men to find ways to change this together often using restorative processes which attend to the root causes for men and women.

Thanks Anouk Your commentary on gender-based violence (GBV) here really holds the truth on Pacific Island countries, especially Solomon Island and its neighbour PNG. In order for one to understand GBV, one has to understand the cultural context in which one descends from with respect as well. While there are other factors also contributing to GBV like alcohol or economic reasons, we may find other more complicated reasons that may associate with modernization or introduced influences. If we investigate further into the cultural context of GBV, there is cultural limitation and acceptable practice related to GBV; cultures have practice regulations on men violence against women, value of women in society, certain roles and responsibilities expected from women and men. However, with the modern campaign on GBV, some of these cultural practices can be viewed as GBV issues with our modern approach and understanding. As a remedial approach to these GBV issues is not only to introduce new GBV laws in the country or provide counselling services to the victims, it would be better to identify the root factors that contribute to the issue and address it. For example, an economic problem in a family would rise to GBV, but providing counselling to the victim or introducing new GBV law are not the solution, there one needs to address the root factor which is the economic situation in the family.

Thanks for this. Really interesting and timely article. Myanmar is also doing some interesting stuff with IATI data through their own aid information management system called <a href="http://mohinga.info" rel="nofollow">Mohinga</a>. Still early days but the system does currently have the ability to import data from IATI directly into the system. Certainly an initiative worth watching. Full disclosure - I'm working with the team on developing the system.