As the holidays approach, we’re reminded of the warmth and generosity that make this time of year so special. It’s a season that calls on us to give back, to spread kindness, and to connect with our loved ones. This year, we invite you to make your giving truly impactful. By donating to FemiliPNG Australia, you can help us support critical services for survivors of family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea – ensuring they have access to the resources, safety, and support they need to rebuild their lives.
About FemiliPNG Australia
FemiliPNG Australia’s partnership with Femili PNG assists survivors of family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea to access the life-saving and life-changing services they need. This includes supporting Femili PNG’s case management centres and safe houses, which assist survivors to access safe accommodation, medical care, legal assistance, and more.
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Family and sexual violence disproportionately affects women and girls, with up to 68% of women in Papua New Guinea experiencing violence at some stage in their lives. Among these survivors, fewer than 35% seek help.
Survivors often face significant barriers when navigating complex care and justice systems alone. Many require support to access safe accommodation, medical care, legal assistance, and financial or vocational resources, among other essential services.
Established in 2014, Femili PNG was founded to bridge these gaps by helping survivors access support from various service providers. It was the first Papua New Guinean organisation to adopt a case management approach to supporting survivors.
Since welcoming its first client 10 years ago, Femili PNG has assisted over 7,000 survivors in accessing the care they need. Today, it operates case management centres in Lae and Goroka, as well as the Bel isi PNG case management centre and safe house in Port Moresby.
In addition to case management, Femili PNG undertakes extensive outreach to raise awareness about violence and available support. It trains community leaders to assist survivors locally, collaborates with other service providers to enhance impact, and coordinates family and sexual violence services in the regions where it operates. Femili PNG also conducts research-based advocacy to improve government responses to gender-based violence.
Behind the scenes, FemiliPNG Australia provides critical technical expertise and funding to extend Femili PNG’s reach and impact.
As a free support service, Femili PNG relies on the generosity of people like you to sustain these vital programs and keep them accessible to all survivors. One of the most impactful ways to help is by donating. By giving to FemiliPNG Australia, you empower us to provide consistent support for Femili PNG’s essential work.
Bel isi PNG and the Santos Foundation
Bel isi PNG is a groundbreaking initiative that aims to address family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea by uniting the private, public, and government sectors. At its core are Femili PNG, which operates the Bel isi PNG case management centre and safe house in Port Moresby, and the Santos Foundation, the program’s managing partner.
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What makes Bel isi PNG unique is its collaborative approach. Businesses subscribe to the initiative and contribute regular funding, ensuring critical services for survivors—such as safe housing and case management—can continue. In return, businesses receive education and resources to foster workplace environments that support those affected by violence.
Employees of subscribing companies can access support from the Bel isi PNG case management centre and safe house anonymously through their workplace. Survivors who are not employees of subscribing businesses can still access support through Femili PNG in Port Moresby. This inclusive model ensures that help is available to anyone who needs it.
This innovative approach provides multiple pathways for survivors to seek help while empowering businesses to address gender-based violence actively. By working together, Bel isi PNG drives meaningful change, creating safer workplaces and stronger communities across Papua New Guinea.
Where Does Your Donation Go?
Your donation to FemiliPNG Australia will support activities that help Femili PNG to:
Assist survivors of family and sexual violence in accessing safe accommodation.
Under the Bel isi PNG Initiative, Femili PNG operates a safe house in Port Moresby. This provides survivors with a safe place to stay when escaping violence. It is equipped with 8 bedrooms, a kitchen, a laundry, an outdoor living space, and an accessible bathroom for people living with disability. In 2023-24, Femili PNG supported 123 clients and their dependents with safe accommodation at the Bel isi PNG Safe House.
Femili PNG also works in close collaboration with other service providers to link survivors with safe houses across Papua New Guinea. This is an important part of supporting survivors in hard-to-reach locations. Throughout 2023-24, a total of 601 people were assisted to find safe accommodation.
Link survivors to law and justice interventions.
Femili PNG’s clients often need assistance lodging interim protection orders (IPOs) in court. These IPOs serve as a legal warning, and put conditions in place to prevent further violence. Importantly, however, survivors are not required to separate from their partner/family unless they choose to. This allows the IPO not only to increase the survivor’s safety, but also to maintain their autonomy.
After obtaining an IPO, clients can obtain a protection order, which allows the conditions of the original IPO to be put in place for up to 2 years. In 2023-24, Femili PNG helped 237 survivors of violence to secure IPOs, and 114 to secure protection orders.
Support survivors with repatriations, relocations, and reintegrations.
Survivors are often isolated from their families and communities while experiencing violence. Femili PNG provides assistance with repatriations, which involve helping survivors to find and return to their family.
Femili PNG also supports clients with relocations, which involve assisting clients to move to another location to escape violence; and reintegrations, which involve helping survivors to safely return to the community they experienced violence in.
In 2023-24, 109 clients were repatriated, relocated or reintegrated into their communities.
These cases are some of the most complex Femili PNG’s staff deal with, involving family tracing, coordination with partners, negotiation with local communities, and the provision of resources to help the client start a new life.
Provide survivors with business start-up kits.
Escaping violence is often the first of many challenges a survivor will face. Often, after years of abuse, survivors have become isolated and need support achieving their long-term goals.
Case workers encourage survivors to talk about what a different future, free from violence, might look like for them. Many survivors express a desire to become self-reliant and to generate an income. This has led to some of Femili PNG’s clients starting small businesses, such as selling products at a road side stall.
Case workers can help clients apply for an injection of funds from Femili PNG’s ‘Business Start Up Kit’. This provides them with the resources needed to build a strong and sustainable future for themselves. In 2023-24, 49 business start-up kits were issued to survivors.
Train community leaders and service providers to assist survivors.
Providing support directly to survivors is just one aspect of Femili PNG’s vital work. They also train community leaders to recognise the signs and impacts of family and sexual violence, educate them about relevant legislation, and teach them how to support survivors in their own communities. This is essential to increasing survivors’ access to high quality services, especially in locations far away from Femili PNG’s main case management centres.
Deliver awareness sessions to adults and children across Papua New Guinea.
Femili PNG conducts outreach in communities and schools to raise awareness about the impacts of family and sexual violence. Through these initiatives, they educate community members about relevant laws, available support services, and practical ways to seek help. This approach not only empowers individuals with vital information but also fosters an informed, supportive community where survivors can feel understood and protected.
FemiliPNG Australia is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and an accredited member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and the Australian Government’s NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). Donations to FemiliPNG Australia are tax-deductible and an effective way to support a locally led initiative addressing gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea.