PNG community to march against incest

Reporter Slug Date INTRO A march planned #y community leaders in Papua New Guinea$s East New %ritain pro&ince is aiming to #rea' down ta#oos a#out incest in PNG society( and to press the police and the )udiciary to do more to #ring o**enders to )ustice+ ,he main organiser( Rosemary Sa&e' *rom the community action organisation Malaguna( says the e-perience o* her own *amily has prompted her to push *or greater pu#lic awareness o* se-ual crime( and a stronger response *rom the legal system+ And she says support *or the march on April .th is growing day #y day+ Richard Ewart *rom Radio Australia inter&iewed Rosemary Sa&e'( community action organisation Malaguna+ TEXT SAVEK clip 1 !emale" English#: /0e ha&e #een a**ected #y issues o* incest( rape and all *orms o* se-ual &iolence and li'e an e-perience in the *amily( that we had to report the matter to police 1 on the 2th August( 2! ( and to date nothing has #een done a#out it( li'e no en*orcement agency( li'e the police( ha&ing to do an in&estigation( arrest and then prosecution+ ,his has not ta'en place+3 $% Presuma&ly though" the purpose o' the march is not so much to (eal )ith that particular case" )hich is o&*iously personal to you an( your 'amily" &ut to (ra) attention to the )i(er issue" &ecause I gather you+re &elie' is that this is &y no means an isolate( case, SAVEK clip - !emale" English#: /4es( it$s going to #e a multi1sectoral approach on all *orms o* &iolence( #ut it$s going to come *rom the ci&il society and all sta'eholders and we$re wor'ing with the police( 5$&e spo'en to the Pro&incial Police Commander( New Guinea 6ighlands( Anthony 0agam#ie( and the Police Station Commander in 7o'opo( 5nspector Duada'( and they want to support us and they were going to wal' with us and i* there is a petition they are willing to accept on #ehal* o* the ci&il society to the go&ernment+3 $% An( )hat is the (eman( containe( )ithin that petition" )hat is it that you+re as.ing go*ernment to (o, SAVEK clip / !emale" English#: /0hat we$re planning to do is to tell them that 89 years down the line( a*ter 5ndependence( they should ha&e some teeth on the laws( the court system or *rom the police that can land people #ehind #ars+ ,he resource is there( #ut they$re really not wor'ing+ ,he mechanism is there( #ut 5 thin' it$s the o**icers in&ol&ed( li'e community de&elopment and police are not wor'ing *or the community or people that ha&e #een a**ected+3 $% Presuma&ly though" in cases o' incest" that is a particularly (i''icult case 'or the authorities to in*estigate" i'" 'or no other reason" it+s a su&0ect that people are *ery" *ery reluctant to tal. a&out in Papua Ne) Guinea an( incest isn+t e*en ac.no)le(ge( is it in certain sections o' PNG society, : Richard Ewart Radio Australia : PNG Community to March : 2 Maret 2! "

SAVEK clip 1 !emale" English#: /4eah( 5 thin' that they are ta#oos and they$re cultural and sometimes( when we as' *or in*ormation or witnesses to come out( people don$t seem to see the importance o* how they$re going to play their role or contri#ute to a particular case+3 $% 2hy (o you thin. the instances o' incest anec(otally at least are on the increase, 2hat has change( in PNG society )hen 'or so many years" incest )as not 0ust a ta&oo as a su&0ect" &ut it )as something that no&o(y )oul( imagine )oul( happen, SAVEK clip 3 !emale" English#: /5 thin' one is the population #oom and the other thing we$&e #uilt our houses( we don$t ha&e li'e the rooms( it$s )ust an open space and the *amily is sleeping there and may#e that is one contri#uting *actor+ And the other thing is that in the past( our ancestors used to &alue culture and the practices &ery separate and important+ %ut today( a #rother must wal' away *rom the sisters or li'e in laws( or i* 5 ha&e a #rother in law( 5$m not allowed to wal' in *ront o* him or 5 ha&e to ta'e the other turn and sisters and #rothers are not allowed to play together or physical touching and all that( that has contri#uted a lot( that more than technology has come into place and 5 thin' that mo#iles and t&$s ha&e contri#uted as well+3 $% So" i' nothing else" I )oul( imagine that once you+*e ha( the march on the 4th o' April" one o' things that perhaps you )oul( li.e to see is more people at least tal.ing a&out the issue an( ac.no)le(ging that there is an issue, SAVEK clip 5 !emale" English#: /4eah e-actly( that is what we$re loo'ing at( e&ery#ody has to come in and then spea' out+3