Sexual violence helpline opens in PNG

Transcript

Victims of sexual violence in Papua New Guinea have now got access to a hotline that they can call for help 12 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere in the country.

The toll-free family and sexual violence hotline was launched this week in Port Morseby by ChildFund New Zealand.

It will be staffed by professional counsellors fluent in the three main languages - English, Motuan and Tok Pisin.

ChildFund New Zealand's Chief Executive, Paul Brown, says the hotline is an important first step in addressing an overwhelming problem.

PAUL BROWN: ChildFund has been working in Papua New Guinea for almost twenty years and we're making some great progress and advance at a community-to-government level. We know a lot of those gains are being undermined by violence. So we've heard from the community, we've heard from action groups, that they've been ready for a hotline or counselling service for a long, long time.

KOROI HAWKINS:  So people calling in to this service, what can they expect, what kind of assistance can they get? 

PB: The counselling provides immediate help at a time of trauma. Referrals to other services and agencies that women an children can access. But we heard today frmo the counsellors that they're also expecting perpetrators to ring up when they're struggling with times of difficulty and looking for help too. So they'll be able to guide them through those difficult times. There's a whole lot of services that this counselling service can refer women to.

KH: And how much reach - as we know Papua New Guinea is quite spread out and the majority of the population is rural - how much reach does it have in the country?

PB: Well, this is the good thing. Most people have access to a cellphone so Digicel, if you're a Digicel user, are providing a phone hotline toll-free number. So we're expecting it will have reach right across PNG. There's also a safehouse network that we'll be referring people to as well.

KH: Multiple languages in PNG, this is also being considered?

PB: Very much so. The counsellors have been trained in English, in Motu and in Pidgin; and Pidgin is the most common of the languages, and between those three languages that the counsellors are trained in, they'll be able to provide expertise and help where it's needed most.

KH: And to start off, how many counsellors do you have on call, and how long does this service go on for?

PB: The hotline will be seven days a week - from 7AM to 7PM. And I met the first batch, if I can call it that, or group of counsellors, seven wonderful women, they're all graduates of the University of Papua New Guinea, with degrees in social work. They've all been through an intensive fourteen week training programme, learning about counselling, learning how to provide care through a phone line when it's needed most.

KH: And you're saying this is a first step. How much more needs to be done in this area to complement this service?

PB: It is a first step. It's not going to turn the tide and completely eliminate sexual and domestic violence.

KH: Any latest figures on the current situation in PNG?

PB: They're horrible statistics. Two out of three women and girls in Papua New Guinea are estimated to experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. It's an incredibly high number and must be reduced. But over and above that we know there are plenty more women and children who witness violence or sexual abuse and that number has to come down too. So this hotline is a great first step to making sure that violence is eliminated from these communities.

Paul Brown says the service aims to get survivors through the immediate crisis, stabilise them emotionally, and provide options, information and referrals to local service providers to further assist them.

ChildFund New Zealand has collected around NZ$600,000 in charitable donations which have been matched with $2.6 million dollars by the New Zealand Government's Aid Programme to set up and maintain the sexual violence hotline for the next five years.