Family and sexual violence (FSV) and sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV), significant development challenges in PNG, disproportionately affect women and girls. The impact of violence is compounded by the difficulty accessing the necessary services to break the cycle of violence.
FemiliPNG Australia supports Femili PNG’s Goroka Outpost, which connects survivors of FSV and SARV in the Eastern Highlands to survivor-centred integrated case management services; supporting access to medical, law and justice, vocational, and safe accommodation services.
Since opening its doors, the Goroka Outpost quickly stablished and embedded its operations as a local service provider. Over the past year, 90 clients have received a total of 1,178 services. These numbers are extremely encouraging, and an indication of the great outreach work conducted by the Goroka team. The appointment of a new Outreach Officer at the Outpost has been instrumental in increasing awareness of the work of Femili PNG in the region and increasing the number of clients accessing case-management services.
Training and outreach programs have also been conducted in the Eastern Highland Provinces to spread awareness of the impacts of FSV/SARV and to encourage those in need of assistance to reach out. In just a short amount of time, the Goroka team have managed to establish themselves as an essential part of the referral pathway.
Survivor-centred integrated case management allows women and girls to access services according to their needs. Trained caseworkers work with survivors to meet their immediate needs, such as medical care or safe accommodation; and work together to achieve longer-term solutions for clients, such as legal recourse, repatriation, and economic empowerment.
Caseworkers in Goroka work with survivors to determine their short-term and long-term goals – whether it be to transfer to safe accommodation, to file a police report, to take out a protection order, or to seek a child welfare intervention – and then assist them to achieve these goals through a series of follow-up consultations, both with the client and any relevant, complementary, service providers.
Survivors are empowered to make decisions relating to their own well-being and safety, with caseworkers assisting them and advocating for their rights within the system. Because each client’s situation and needs are different, and often complex, clients need multiple service inputs to achieve a positive outcome.
Violence affects all of us, however, violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, one in three women will experience violence in their lifetime. In PNG, that rate increases to two in three.
While Goal 5: Gender Equality highlights gender equality; realising the rights of women and girls to live a life free from family and sexual violence is fundamental to achieving all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The global Coronavirus pandemic saw progress stall, and in many cases move backwards across all SDGs. Reporting against Goal 5: Gender Equality highlights an increase in family and sexual violence as a direct result of the pandemic, and a disruption in the support available to women.
Together with our partners at Femili PNG, FemiliPNG Australia is working to achieve positive and sustained change. The Goroka Outpost Project is part of this work. You can read more about our organisation in our Strategic Plan.
FemiliPNG Australia acknowledges the valuable contribution of the Australian Government’s Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) to the Goroka Outpost. FemiliPNG Australia has committed five years of ANCP funding to supporting the Outpost, 2022-2023 was the second year of the project.
We welcome your contribution to this important work. Please donate today! Every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding from the Australian Government to reach more people. We have committed to contribute $1 for every $5 we receive from the Australian government. Your donation will allow us to extend our impact in Goroka.