[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1135, 418], "category": "Text", "text": "Gender Based Violence 2016-2025 in Papua New Guinea. ². Specific Objectives are 1) To increase access of women, men, girls and boys in all their diversity, experiencing gender-based violence, to essential quality services, protection and justice; 2) To improve advocacy and agency of civil society organisations, women's rights organisations, social movements and communities to end gender-based violence; and 3) To make more effective the engagement of community leaders, male advocates and influential groups and actors in society in changing discriminatory social norms, gender stereotypes, GBV and harmful practices. By strengthening national, provincial, district and community level key institutions and coordination mechanisms linked to referral pathways, and by empowering civil society and communities to be more influential in ending violence, the action will improve survivors' access to essential quality services, protection, and enhance equal access to justice and human rights."}, {"bbox": [85, 448, 323, 478], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 512, 234, 539], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [98, 584, 202, 609], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Overview"}, {"bbox": [96, 612, 1135, 798], "category": "Text", "text": "Papua New Guinea (PNG) is linguistically, and culturally one of the most diverse countries in the world, with over 1,000 tribes and 800 languages. According to the most recent (2011) National Population and Housing Census, the country has approximately 7.3 million people, with 85% of the population living in rural areas, and about 49% being women. The most recent population estimate (2022, UNFPA) indicates that the population has more than doubled since the last census. The prevalence of income poverty is projected at 28 percent, and about 90 percent of those affected live in rural areas. The rural women, children and people living with disabilities continue to be the most vulnerable to intersectional and intergenerational poverty, insecurity, and violence of all forms.³"}, {"bbox": [96, 799, 1135, 931], "category": "Text", "text": "The progress towards gender equality in PNG is not meeting the minimum expected requirements of international instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the global commitment to the 2030 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 5 on gender equality). This is manifested in the Gender Index report, which suggests that PNG 'ranked **160 out of 161 countries** on the United Nations Development Programme's 2021 Gender Inequality Index'.⁴"}, {"bbox": [96, 932, 1135, 1039], "category": "Text", "text": "Gender-based Violence (GBV) in PNG is deeply rooted in traditional and social norms and practices, and in realities of poverty, inequalities and disadvantage. When a bride price is paid in marriage, a woman is considered to belong, not only to her husband, but to his entire family⁵. Adolescent girls are also at risk of child and forced marriages as well as sexual exploitation that occur outside the formal registration systems⁶."}, {"bbox": [96, 1040, 1135, 1145], "category": "Text", "text": "Anecdotal data also suggests that at least 68% of women in PNG have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence at some point in their lives⁷. This is double the global average⁸. Among ever-married women, adolescents aged 15 – 19 years are more likely to report controlling behaviour by their husbands (56% compared to 30% among 40 – 49-year-olds)."}, {"bbox": [96, 1146, 1135, 1251], "category": "Text", "text": "Household and marriage-related violence is commonly considered as a private matter and a legitimate mechanism for resolving household conflict. While 65% of rural husbands viewed using violence against their wives as acceptable in some circumstances, so did 55% of women⁹. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 exacerbated GBV¹⁰. Data from the National Health Information System Data Base states that from 2018-2020,"}, {"bbox": [85, 1341, 775, 1366], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² Papua New Guinea National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to GBV 2016-2025"}, {"bbox": [85, 1367, 1105, 1418], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ United Nations Papua New Guinea. *Papua New Guinea United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2018-2022.* Papua New Guinea: United Nations Papua New Guinea"}, {"bbox": [85, 1419, 691, 1444], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/png/about-un-women-png"}, {"bbox": [85, 1445, 1087, 1494], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ Ellsberg M, Bradley C, Egan A, Haddad A (2008): Violence against Women in Melanesia and East Timor; Building on Global Best Practices. Canberra, Australia: Office of Development Effectiveness, AusAID."}, {"bbox": [85, 1495, 388, 1518], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁶ Demographic Health Survey, 2018"}, {"bbox": [85, 1519, 593, 1544], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁷ The Demographic Health Survey 2018- Papua New Guinea"}, {"bbox": [85, 1545, 1120, 1594], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸ Devries KM, Mak JY, García-Moreno C, et al. The global prevalence of intimate partner violence against women. *Science*. 2013;340(6140):1527-1528."}, {"bbox": [85, 1595, 327, 1620], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁹ Human Rights Watch 2020"}, {"bbox": [85, 1621, 739, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁰ https://www.unicef.org/png/media/2061/file/WB-UNICEF-PNG-HFPS.pdf"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 23"}]