Participants from safe house service providers from the National Capital District (NCD), Enga, Madang and representatives from the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Secretariat have gathered to discuss pathways to justice and care for the survivors of GBV, including Sorcery Accusation-Related Violence (SARV).
Group discussions focused on:
- Disability inclusion in survivor support
- Strengthening collaboration among referral pathway partners, including police and medical services
- The importance of counselling and psychosocial support for survivors and staff
- Community education and awareness
“This event gave us a space to talk openly about what’s working and where we face challenges,” said one safe house manager.
“Meeting others working in this space reminded me that I am not alone.”
The GBV Secretariat gave an update to participants on the efforts to develop minimum standards for safe houses, aiming to improve the quality and consistency of GBV support services.
“The mapping exercise is a step forward. It encourages safe houses to adopt standard operating procedures and policies that strengthen their work. Safe houses are the first and most important partner in the referral pathway,” the spokesperson said.
This learning event is the first in a planned series designed to bring together frontline law and justice champions to co-create local solutions to local challenges.
Through the Australia–Papua New Guinea Law and Justice Partnership, numerous safe houses in the country were given grants under the Community Justice Fund (APLJ CJF), to ensure continuity in their role in the referral pathways network of services that help survivors access justice and holistic care.
