In Papua New Guinea and several Pacific nations, a pervasive crisis of gender-based violence affects millions of women every year. Violence continues to plague women’s lives today. The sobering fact is, every year, more than 1.5 million women in Papua New Guinea experience violence. In a few Pacific nations, up to 79 percent of ladies suffer from violence throughout their lives. The second part of this ironic juxtaposition is the deeply entrenched culture of silence that surrounds domestic violence in many communities across the region. This issue just exacerbates that other horrible situation.
Countries are seeing the social and economic consequences of gender-based violence, and are behind in dealing with these issues. Experts are sounding the alarms about the harmful effects. In Fiji, for example, it has been estimated that gender-based violence costs the country around seven percent of its GDP annually. This shocking figure should underscore the need to address this crisis as the urgent emergency. Looking forward, we need to be smart about what we do—implementing interventions that effectively protect victims while holding abusers accountable.
Papua New Guinea is a horrifying story. The reality is that more than two-thirds of women will be abused physically or sexually during their lifetime. This calls for 18,000 more doctors to meet their needs urgently. Although many support services are working hard to meet the unprecedented demand for their services, survivors lack the resources needed to flee harmful relationships.
The Underlying Factors
There is no one factor that causes domestic violence. Despite this, she says some of those unifying themes stand out even more in Pacific nations. In her experience, she explains, a lack of skills combined with an inability to engage in conflict in a healthy manner go a long way.
Dr. Chrichton-Hill stresses the critical need to know what those deeper issues are before creating interventions. “Women in the Pacific live in a collective society, valuing family and having community obligations,” she explains. “Western models that don’t account for that are just not helpful.”
Additionally, individuals who witness or experience family violence are more likely to repeat these patterns in the next generation. “Or maybe individuals and families have had previous experiences of family violence themselves,” she adds. The generational aspect of this problem only compounds the difficulty to escape the cycle.
Constable Leah Adi sheds light on why some men feel entitled to act this way in relationships. She asserts that men think that once they pay a bride price they are entitled to decide what happens with their partners. This mentality is part of a culture that makes abuse the default state and abuse almost always gets the benefit of the doubt.
Survivor Stories
These first-hand stories survivors paint an unsettling picture of what too many women in the Pacific endure. From Papua New Guinea, survivor Lorena speaks of her devastating experience. “I’m trying my best to pretend that I’m okay, but I’m a broken woman,” she says. It is terrifying at times. Three weeks ago he chased me all the way up to the house and tried to strangle me.
Her experience all too common for victims. They endure a lifetime of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of their mates. Many women find solace in connecting with others who have endured similar experiences, drawing strength from their shared struggles. Lavenia Tuitabu, another survivor, highlights this solidarity: “When I go to the communities and I see other women going through this problem, I say: ‘Okay, I’m not the only one going through this problem’, so I use my experience to encourage them and to comfort them.”
In Samoa, a woman recounts her own experiences with domestic violence, saying, “Arguments often stem from couples not working together, particularly when striving for financial stability to support their children.” This sentiment rings true across the board as many families are struggling with socioeconomic issues that can heighten the stress on relationships.
Addressing the Crisis
Legislation across much of the Pacific has been amended to provide increased protections for women and tougher penalties for abusers. The enforcement of these statutes is hit-or-miss. Support services must be well-resourced and trained to provide access to justice and healing for victims of any crime. For instance, in Samoa, the Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG) offers counseling sessions for perpetrators in an effort to break the cycle of violence.
On our center in Papua New Guinea we are counseling or sheltering an average of 50 women who have experienced violence every week. This underscores the tremendous need for support services all around the region. For one, these organizations are frequently understaffed, underfinanced, and cash-strapped. As a consequence, they can’t effectively care for all who come looking for care.
In Solomon Islands, domestic violence units are taking steps to hold perpetrators accountable. They serve warnings to anyone who violates police restraining orders in cases of domestic violence. Countless victims are still left vulnerable because of societal pressures and expectations.
“If the [offender] is the sole breadwinner, and they stay apart from each other for 21 days, who’ll provide for the family?” – Constable Leah Adi
This question points to one of the greatest obstacles for women who decide to leave their abusers. This financial dependency frequently keeps them bound to their abusers and in perilous circumstances.
