by Lorraine Gabina – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Along with White Ribbon Day and 16 Days of Activism, the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain is an initiative set up to combat Violence against women and Children, particularly sexual violence.
The recently established counselling hotline is another one of the many support groups that continue to battle violence against women and children.
The hotline program currently has five graduate counsellors, working under two senior counsellors.
1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain was initiated on August 9th this year.
The project is a telephone hotline program that helps women and children experiencing or have come out of violence.
PNG Child Fund statistics show that 65 percent of women and girls in PNG are subject to physical and sexual violence by male family members.
While 44.5 percent of pregnant women have reported sexual violence by their partner, 58 of them have reported physical violence.
68 percent of Papua New Guinean women report having experienced gender based violence by intimate partners.
Senior Project Officer, Wesh Siku, said the project aims to help as many women and children as possible, in the fight to eliminate violence against women and children in Papua New Guinea.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fddV2hYjgDE%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0