Over recent weeks, the visit of a rapporteur (Tok Pisin: grismeri ) has promoted a certain hysteria that needs to calm down. There is not a general movement in this nation towards all women being raped by men.
In the whole world, women need to take care even in countries not at the bottom of the list in treatment of women. All men and women need to learn not to take silly risks. If men and women venture out at night, they need to be careful.
As a man, I have no fear to live in Port Moresby because I know the risks that I must not take. There are places where I do not go. Women need to take the same care with a few more added.
Women need to know that if in danger of attack, they may well be protected by men who pass by. The picture being painted here is that the men passing by will all join in any gang rape.
Women do not catch a taxi alone or use a public motor vehicle that has only the driver and conductor. Past experience tells us that she runs the risk of being diverted to an isolated spot and raped.
Children take care with being picked up by a stranger in a private vehicle or taxi. They know that they keep away from strangers claiming to be a friend of the family come to pick her up because her father is in hospital.
But we have to take care with the words we use. A recent report in the media by Ume Wainetti told of how she is now frightened to walk around her village area for fear of being attacked by family members.
Yet in the Weekend Courier there is a report of a village that has just received reticulated water written by Clive Hawigen.
The report tells of a young woman who no longer has to walk 15 to 20 minutes down to the water to haul heavy loads back to her house. There was no mention of fear of being raped. She has done that for years.
There are foolish comments being written. In the blog report below on PNG Attitude there is a Michael Dom who states that female babies less than one year old are being raped. Grandmothers older than 70 are no different.
There is intellectual stupidity/dishonesty in generalizing on a single incident. There was a report several months ago of a baby being raped. It would have appalled all men and women in the nation.
A marijuana demented young man raped and murdered an old woman in Madang some time back. That incident would have saddened all readers.
Dom says that women of any age walk in constant fear of violent attacks, not from strangers but from their very own husbands, brothers, fathers and other family friends.
“Ask your wife. Ask your daughter. Ask your niece. Ask your aunt. Ask your mother. Ask any woman close to you if she feels safe at home, let alone in public.”
“The uninhibited violence of PNG men to PNG women is destroying the family unit and hence the basic social structure. This is defamation of the nation.”
Michael Dom may be a pen name. This person is fantasizing in a very damaging way. This may be a fake report designed to reduce all men to the level of animals. That is not reality in any way.
On the way to the internet shop, I stopped and asked several women in the neighbourhood about how they felt. None felt they were afraid of living in Port Moresby. They all said they do not take silly risks.
I asked what would happen if they were being attacked on the street. All said that men would run to help. Some would not as they were afraid.
All felt safe in the neighbourhood. They said that the men in the neighbourhood would protect them from raskols attacking their house.
That is a thumb sketch of a selection of women in a Port Moresby suburb. Let us now look at women in the rural areas. It is not honest and very dangerous to make generalizations on women or men.
We have reported on the families in St Peters Parish. There is limited domestic violence in the parish. There would be hundreds of other places in this country that are just the same.
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PNG ATTITUDE: Letter by Michael Dom
Female babies less than one year old are being raped. Grandmothers older than 70 are no different.
Women of any age in between walk around in constant fear of violent attacks, not from strangers but from their very own husbands, brothers, fathers other family and friends; ask your wife, ask your daughter, ask your niece, ask your aunt, ask your mother, ask your bubuhaine.
Ask any woman close to you if she feels safe at home let alone in public. Then tell me again that we don't need a law to stop this madness.
Everything starts from the mind, but the law is concerned with the result of our actions (we might think in our minds is okay) which must have consequences for what we agree is not good for our society - for our family.
The uninhibited violence of PNG men to PNG women is destroying the family unit and hence basic social structure - the place where we begin to learn what is good and what is not good.
The social work, counselling and therapy you refer to is always an option for working through but works best for those men and women, like yourself, who see the need for it and more importantly are willing to make it work.
Recognition of the problem and willingness to solve it are the key. That is straight forward. A law must be there to provide the penalizing recourse.
We have reported on the families in St Peters Parish. There is limited domestic violence in the parish. There would be hundreds of other places in this country that are just the same.
******************
PNG ATTITUDE: Letter by Michael Dom
Female babies less than one year old are being raped. Grandmothers older than 70 are no different.
Women of any age in between walk around in constant fear of violent attacks, not from strangers but from their very own husbands, brothers, fathers other family and friends; ask your wife, ask your daughter, ask your niece, ask your aunt, ask your mother, ask your bubuhaine.
Ask any woman close to you if she feels safe at home let alone in public. Then tell me again that we don't need a law to stop this madness.
Everything starts from the mind, but the law is concerned with the result of our actions (we might think in our minds is okay) which must have consequences for what we agree is not good for our society - for our family.
The uninhibited violence of PNG men to PNG women is destroying the family unit and hence basic social structure - the place where we begin to learn what is good and what is not good.
The social work, counselling and therapy you refer to is always an option for working through but works best for those men and women, like yourself, who see the need for it and more importantly are willing to make it work.
Recognition of the problem and willingness to solve it are the key. That is straight forward. A law must be there to provide the penalizing recourse.
