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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: HIGH RATE OF
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
By BONNIE ABOLA
January 16, 08 - (The National) Studies conducted
by the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) reveal an alarming rate
of gender-based violence (GBV) cases.
Child sexual abuse is the most common form of sexual violence apart
from rape, domestic violence and sexual assault.
Twelve women have died in the last 11 months at
PMGH as a result of domestic violence, 47.9% of victims of domestic
and sexual assault were under the age of 16.
These were from findings recorded from 2004 to
2007 at PMGH and revealed by Dr Angela Seginame at the launching
of the Gutpela Sindaun campaign in Lae last week.
Among these cases reported at the hospital by NCD
residents, 70% of the survivors were from the Southern region, 19%
from the Highlands region, Momase 6.1% and Islands 3.1%. Most of
these cases were from survivors who lived in settlements (52.6%),
urban survivors (31.7%) and villagers (17.7%).
Dr Seginame said most of these act of violence
occurred in their homes, where the assailant were known to the victim.
She said the statistics showed how alarming the
problem was but added that this was a small part because there were
many victims who had not reported their cases.
Dr Seginame also revealed that the after-effects
of GBV were mostly fatal which included homicide, suicide, maternal
mortality which had a rate of 370 deaths for every 100,000 deliveries,
peri-natal (immediately before and after birth) mortality was 30-50
deaths in 1,000 while infant mortality rates accounted for 73 deaths
in 1,000 births and HIV/AIDS related deaths made up 1% of pregnant
mothers.
Mental health problems were another consequence
of GBV, which included post traumatic stress disorder, depression,
mental disorder anxiety, fear, anger, shame, mental illness, and
suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Meanwhile, there are attempts
to alleviate the problems and they are to set up user-friendly services
for survivor centred skills, safe-houses for survivors of sexual
violence and also for PMGH to upgrade family support centres to
a one-stop-shop.
She pointed out that no one was violent, but it
was not good for the children to be exposed to violence.
From:http://www.thenational.com.pg/121907/Nation%209.htm
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