By Isaiah Tare, EMTV Cadet Journalist
PNG is often labeled as potentially the worst place in the world for Gender-Based Violence where men are always labeled as “Perpetrators of Violence” but no one has asked why?
The #MenandBoysToo Workshop held in Port Moresby brought together Men and Boys to discuss how violence affects them, and to find answers as to why most perpetrators of violence are men.
A wide range of men from all walks of life attended the #menandboystoo workshop in Port Moresby, to define violence in the PNG context, but more importantly to answer the question: “Do men in PNG experience Sexual and Domestic Violence” too?
The genesis of the #menandboystoo conversation emerged when 20-year-old Human rights Activist from PNG, David Lawrence raised the alarm during a United Nations convention in Samoa, that men’s issues are always brushed aside where Papua New Guinean men are always labeled as perpetrators of violence.
The only high school student who attended the workshop, Philip Anave, of Jubilee Catholic Secondary School, said workshops like this are important, and young people should be more involved in initiatives to eradicate socio-economic issues in Papua New Guinea.
While women are said to be more affected by Gender-Based Violence, men are also prone to abuse and violence. The #menandboystoo workshop created dialogues between men and women to identify different forms of violence, and to understand how violence affects both women, and men.
