27 Dec 2013

Women's group in PNG feel intimidated by local police

2:58 pm on 27 December 2013

The vice president of a provincial women's group in Papua New Guinea says she feels unsafe following her group's involvement in helping the complainant of an alleged rape by police officers.

It's nearly three weeks since an 18-year-old girl was allegedly raped by officers from Wewak.

A few days later the president of the East Sepik Council of Women says she was beaten by the Wewak police station commander when she went to lay a complaint on behalf of the girl.

A high-level police team from Port Moresby was sent to investigate both allegations and has interviewed the girl, witnesses, and police.

But the vice president of the East Sepik Council of Women, Florence Parinjo, says no police officers have been stood down yet, and she feels intimidated.

"My freedom and my ways of going out in the town and this, I'm still harassed by police here. I'm still not safe to walk around."

Florence Parinjo says the alleged rape victim's father and two brothers are still in jail but no charges have been laid.