As the International Human Rights Day approached on the 10th of December, it also marked the end of the 20 Days of Activism which focused on the need to address gender-based violence as an urgent priority.
Chair of the Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV and Member for Alotau, Charles Abel used the opportunity to commemorate the Human Rights Day and called on officials across the country to ramp up their efforts to ensure that the women and children of PNG can live free from violence and fully enjoy all of their human rights.
“Every single day should be a day that we all work harder to make sure that our people are freed from the scourge of senseless violence which sometimes seems to be taking over our beloved country”
“I want us all to stop and really think about what we can all do – in our home lives, in our village, in our workplaces – to make sure that the people around us are safe”, said Abel.
The GBV Committee has been trying to draw the attention of the Government so that more can be done to address GBV.
The Parliamentary Committee on GBV which the Alotau MP chairs was scheduled to hold a second round of public hearings in early December to continue its inquiry however, the hearings were postponed to early next year due to the extended budget sitting that happened in Parliament.
