There is a report on Google on the violence of men to women and girls in Papua New Guinea. Please click:
Untighten your fist
It gives a horrifyingly compressed summary of the violence of men in marriage, rape, bride price and every day domestic violence to wives and daughters.
It gives a horrifyingly compressed summary of the violence of men in marriage, rape, bride price and every day domestic violence to wives and daughters.
It is a well written summary of how men are violent and women are abused.
By that token the report degenerates into lesbian and sexist propaganda.
It falsely claims that violence towards women is the norm in Papua New Guinea.
It seems there was a newspaper report some time ago that made the same comment. Please click:
FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS: FAKE MEDIA ...
FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS: FAKE MEDIA ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../fake-report-on-violence-of-me...Cached
16 Feb 2012 – FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS ... Mr Murdoch,
please be advised of a fake newspaper report in the Papua New Guinea Post ...
We read that 64% of PNG men have most likely been involved in gang rape.
But the report Untighten your fist starts in the schools with bashing of girls by school boys.
It is a false report beautifully written that ignores what is going on in families.
There are hundreds of thousands of happy and loving families in this country.
There are kind and loving men by the hundreds of thousands who carry babies in slings in the street, stand for women in public motor vehicles and escort their children to and from school.
The report ignores the violence of women towards men and children. There are men who are regularly bashed by their wives, particularly in the highlands.
It ignores that more and more women in the highlands smoke marijuana and drink homebrew. Please click:
HIGHLANDS WOMEN AND GIRLS DRINK HOMEBREW
HIGHLANDS WOMEN AND GIRLS DRINK HOMEBREW
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../highlands-women-and-girls-dri...Cached
15 Sep 2011 – We read in the media that there is an increase of women and girls
drinking homebrew in the highlands, particularly the Enga and Chimbu ...
There is no mention of women who do not look after families but play cards into the night. Their children go hungry.
The report does not pay any attention to the young girls soliciting money and sex by mobile phone. Please click:
GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN - FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS ...
GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN - FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../girls-just-wanna-have-fun.htmlCached
20 Apr 2011 – FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS ... GIRLS JUST
WANNA HAVE FUN ... Many young girls are able to hold-up expatriate ...
No mention is made of effects of the Personal Development studies in schools from grades 6 to 12.
WORK PROGRAM FOR GRADE 10 - FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../work-program-for-grade-10.ht...Cached
7 Feb 2012 – This is the yearly work program for Personal Development for Grade
10 Papua New Guinea. It is taken from the following text book By Kenneth ...
WORK PROGRAM FOR GRADE 10 - FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../work-program-for-grade-10.ht...Cached
7 Feb 2012 – This is the yearly work program for Personal Development for Grade
10 Papua New Guinea. It is taken from the following text book By Kenneth ...
The report ignores what is written about the increasing domestic violence among lesbians and their partners. Please click:
Domestic Violence | GLHV - Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria
www.glhv.org.au/category/topic/domestic-violenceCached
The website is written for people in same sex relationships who are, or may be,
experiencing domestic violence. It contains information on what domestic ...
Domestic Violence | GLHV - Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria
www.glhv.org.au/category/topic/domestic-violenceCached
The website is written for people in same sex relationships who are, or may be,
experiencing domestic violence. It contains information on what domestic ...
In recent times, we read the false UN report on the violence and abuse of women in the markets of Papua New Guinea.
No mention is made of men who protect women in markets and streets.
Combine all that with the propaganda of the report Untighten your Fist and we have a realistic picture.
This report by Lorraine Basse will certainly interest the lesbians of the UN and AusAID.
FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS: LESBIAN LIARS IN ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../lesbian-liars-in-south-africa.htm...Cached
28 Mar 2012 – FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS ... to setting up
fake statistics to show that women suffer under horrific violence from men.
FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS: FAKE REPORT ON ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../fake-report-on-child-labour.ht...Cached
24 Apr 2012 – FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS ... In recent days,
there has been a fake report posted on the Jackson blog PNG ... They help their mother
by sitting at the road side or market to sell vegetables and betel nut.
Even though ‘rape is punishable by imprisonment and sentences were imposed on convicted assailants, few rapists were apprehended. The willingness of some communities to settle incidents of rape through material compensation rather than criminal prosecution makes the crime difficult to combat.’ Rape whether you like it or not, is a crime and should be dealt with accordingly and not something to be shunned or viewed as a private matter.
Wife beating too is seen as a private matter in almost all parts of the country. Reports show that some of the highest rates of violence and abuse of women in the world occur in PNG.
However, in 1986 the Law Reform Commission decided to take a stand and began its campaign against wife-beating. And now PNG is one of the few developing countries to embark on a ‘nationwide program of legal, social and educational measures’.
The immense public-campaign was carried out to try and change the attitudes and the norm of wife-beating. As a result of the campaign, some of the policies were changed and the constabulary ‘began treating wife-beating like any other form of assault and were arresting and prosecuting offenders.’
The other factor that mitigates domestic violence is the payment of bride price. Whenever men pay for their wives, they have a propensity to believe that they are their possessions.
In some parts of the country, especially in the highlands provinces, this type of practice is common. Men tend to view women as objects when they are being paid for. This gives them the mentality that they own women and they can do anything they want.
Men do not care about women’s feelings if they had paid their bride price. Some clans also give the men full responsibility and authority to do whatever he wants with his wife. Thus, paying a bride price tends to reinforce the view that women are property.
In 1987, a government minister said in a statement that ‘we pay for our wives, so we own them and can belt them any time we like’. Now this type of mentality has been instilled in the mindset of some men in PNG.
We can say that our culture says to beat wives if she is in the wrong but who gave you the right to hit someone? It is also against the law, and if caught then tougher penalties should be ensured to make the offender pay for his actions.
In addition, ‘in the villages, a husband’s right to chastise his wife physically was accepted, with some tribes even recognizing this by presenting a stick to the bridegroom in return for the payment of bride price.’
There is no law that limits the full participation of women in all aspects of
life, but the deeply rooted patriarchal culture sometimes stops women from fully participating in any development.
PNG as a male-dominated country gives few opportunities to women in communal life. Moreover, development itself can be a link to violence. There is also the rise of a new culture of boyfriends hitting their girlfriends at the secondary and tertiary level of education.
Rapid social change sweeps away centuries of old ways of doing things creating stress and insecurity. However, this has greatly changed in the last couple of years giving women equal participation in all walks of life.
Today, women are doctors, lawyers, managers, directors and officers to name a few. Women tend to jump in the race to show their counterparts that if you can do it I can do it.
Whereas in the past they just sat on the fence and observed. Women can now get higher positions and achieve their aims and dreams; they can aspire and become successful.
They fully know their rights and therefore, they do not get abused or misled quickly, unlike in the past. And now there is current pushing of the Bill for 22 reserved seats for women, which was originally included in the constitution but never passed into effect.
To conclude, the most damaging effect women face as a result of domestic violence and which they are forced to endure is the humiliation and pain of violence. As a result of violence women see themselves as weak, vulnerable, helpless, inadequate and helpless.
Domestic violence can surely be erased if both parties understand and do not abuse each other’s rights. They must understand that it has drastic effects on the victim. Children too are affected by what they see in their families and there is a possibility that they can repeat what they observe in later life.
Therefore, men should understand that women are created to be their partners and not something to be regarded as under him; as the famous saying goes; “woman was created from the rib of man, not from his head to be above him, nor his feet to be walked upon, but from his side to be equal, near his arm to be protected and close to his heart to be loved.”
There is an urgent need for the government of the day to see and ensure that wife-beating is a serious problem affecting and affected by development.
The government needs to provide resources to deal with it because simple campaigns and awareness programs cannot solely eradicate the issue.
There should be a ‘Domestic Violence Act’ introduced to deal with such cases.
The churches should work in partnership to promote equality among their congregation.
The education department should set in place curriculums to deal with this issue in the schooling system from prep to university. It should start at the prep or elementary level because a child’s first years of growth will surely affect his or her life later.
There should be awareness within the family that violence is not an answer to a problem. “Family is the social unit of a society and the country as a whole.”
Outreach activities should be provided by the organizations and institutions concerned to raise awareness in the communities because sometimes people do not know they can get help or are too scared or ashamed to come forward.
Untighten your fist
LORRAINE BASSE | The Crocodile Prize
There are a number of factors involved with the three most common being domestic matters, bride price payments and the mentality of a male dominated society.
Most men regard women as objects and blame their wives for every little thing they find fault in. For instance bearing a female child when they want a male, work pressure, family obligations, forgetting to clean the house or wash the dishes, children crying, food not cooked to his liking, does not like the way she is dressing, no respect, not enough food in the house and talking to a male stranger to name a few.
This in turn leads to quarrels, arguments, disunity and to domestic violence within and among families creating a tension in the village, community, the society and the country as a whole.
Domestic violence is seen in most parts as a private matter. Therefore, whenever a man hits his wife, most people; neighbours and the authorities concerned pretend that they cannot see what is going on and turn a deaf ear.
Only some are brave enough to stand up for the victim.
Since most communities view domestic violence as a private matter, only some of the victims press charges, and prosecutions are rare; most of those affected by it, think it is normal.
Moreover, growing up in a culturally oriented society makes many women think that it is their duty to make their husbands happy and therefore, have no right to refuse sex with their husbands. They obligingly give in to their husbands wishes even though they do not like it.
This in turn leads to many problems and tensions in the family, the community and the society as a whole. These people who are affected by violence sometimes do not know they can get help, are too scared or are too ashamed to come forward.
Another matter viewed as private and a form of violence is rape. Rape in the past was regarded as a war strategy in most parts of Papua New Guinea and was therefore not seen as an issue. There was no concept of rape in marriage either.
Rape or sexual assault is ‘an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person’s consent.’ Men have the mentality that: ‘My wife is my wife and whatever we do in the vicinity of our dwelling is our private business.’
The rapists when reported and apprehended sometimes do not face trial and walk around freely, especially if he or she was someone important in the community; sometimes they break out of jail.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN has become the norm in many parts of Papua New Guinea and is one of the many issues affecting our country today.
There are a number of factors involved with the three most common being domestic matters, bride price payments and the mentality of a male dominated society.
Most men regard women as objects and blame their wives for every little thing they find fault in. For instance bearing a female child when they want a male, work pressure, family obligations, forgetting to clean the house or wash the dishes, children crying, food not cooked to his liking, does not like the way she is dressing, no respect, not enough food in the house and talking to a male stranger to name a few.
This in turn leads to quarrels, arguments, disunity and to domestic violence within and among families creating a tension in the village, community, the society and the country as a whole.
Domestic violence is seen in most parts as a private matter. Therefore, whenever a man hits his wife, most people; neighbours and the authorities concerned pretend that they cannot see what is going on and turn a deaf ear.
Only some are brave enough to stand up for the victim.
Since most communities view domestic violence as a private matter, only some of the victims press charges, and prosecutions are rare; most of those affected by it, think it is normal.
Moreover, growing up in a culturally oriented society makes many women think that it is their duty to make their husbands happy and therefore, have no right to refuse sex with their husbands. They obligingly give in to their husbands wishes even though they do not like it.
This in turn leads to many problems and tensions in the family, the community and the society as a whole. These people who are affected by violence sometimes do not know they can get help, are too scared or are too ashamed to come forward.
Another matter viewed as private and a form of violence is rape. Rape in the past was regarded as a war strategy in most parts of Papua New Guinea and was therefore not seen as an issue. There was no concept of rape in marriage either.
Rape or sexual assault is ‘an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person’s consent.’ Men have the mentality that: ‘My wife is my wife and whatever we do in the vicinity of our dwelling is our private business.’
The rapists when reported and apprehended sometimes do not face trial and walk around freely, especially if he or she was someone important in the community; sometimes they break out of jail.
Even though ‘rape is punishable by imprisonment and sentences were imposed on convicted assailants, few rapists were apprehended. The willingness of some communities to settle incidents of rape through material compensation rather than criminal prosecution makes the crime difficult to combat.’ Rape whether you like it or not, is a crime and should be dealt with accordingly and not something to be shunned or viewed as a private matter.
Wife beating too is seen as a private matter in almost all parts of the country. Reports show that some of the highest rates of violence and abuse of women in the world occur in PNG.
However, in 1986 the Law Reform Commission decided to take a stand and began its campaign against wife-beating. And now PNG is one of the few developing countries to embark on a ‘nationwide program of legal, social and educational measures’.
The immense public-campaign was carried out to try and change the attitudes and the norm of wife-beating. As a result of the campaign, some of the policies were changed and the constabulary ‘began treating wife-beating like any other form of assault and were arresting and prosecuting offenders.’
The other factor that mitigates domestic violence is the payment of bride price. Whenever men pay for their wives, they have a propensity to believe that they are their possessions.
In some parts of the country, especially in the highlands provinces, this type of practice is common. Men tend to view women as objects when they are being paid for. This gives them the mentality that they own women and they can do anything they want.
Men do not care about women’s feelings if they had paid their bride price. Some clans also give the men full responsibility and authority to do whatever he wants with his wife. Thus, paying a bride price tends to reinforce the view that women are property.
In 1987, a government minister said in a statement that ‘we pay for our wives, so we own them and can belt them any time we like’. Now this type of mentality has been instilled in the mindset of some men in PNG.
We can say that our culture says to beat wives if she is in the wrong but who gave you the right to hit someone? It is also against the law, and if caught then tougher penalties should be ensured to make the offender pay for his actions.
In addition, ‘in the villages, a husband’s right to chastise his wife physically was accepted, with some tribes even recognizing this by presenting a stick to the bridegroom in return for the payment of bride price.’
There is no law that limits the full participation of women in all aspects of
life, but the deeply rooted patriarchal culture sometimes stops women from fully participating in any development.
PNG as a male-dominated country gives few opportunities to women in communal life. Moreover, development itself can be a link to violence. There is also the rise of a new culture of boyfriends hitting their girlfriends at the secondary and tertiary level of education.
Rapid social change sweeps away centuries of old ways of doing things creating stress and insecurity. However, this has greatly changed in the last couple of years giving women equal participation in all walks of life.
Today, women are doctors, lawyers, managers, directors and officers to name a few. Women tend to jump in the race to show their counterparts that if you can do it I can do it.
Whereas in the past they just sat on the fence and observed. Women can now get higher positions and achieve their aims and dreams; they can aspire and become successful.
They fully know their rights and therefore, they do not get abused or misled quickly, unlike in the past. And now there is current pushing of the Bill for 22 reserved seats for women, which was originally included in the constitution but never passed into effect.
To conclude, the most damaging effect women face as a result of domestic violence and which they are forced to endure is the humiliation and pain of violence. As a result of violence women see themselves as weak, vulnerable, helpless, inadequate and helpless.
Domestic violence can surely be erased if both parties understand and do not abuse each other’s rights. They must understand that it has drastic effects on the victim. Children too are affected by what they see in their families and there is a possibility that they can repeat what they observe in later life.
Therefore, men should understand that women are created to be their partners and not something to be regarded as under him; as the famous saying goes; “woman was created from the rib of man, not from his head to be above him, nor his feet to be walked upon, but from his side to be equal, near his arm to be protected and close to his heart to be loved.”
There is an urgent need for the government of the day to see and ensure that wife-beating is a serious problem affecting and affected by development.
The government needs to provide resources to deal with it because simple campaigns and awareness programs cannot solely eradicate the issue.
There should be a ‘Domestic Violence Act’ introduced to deal with such cases.
The churches should work in partnership to promote equality among their congregation.
The education department should set in place curriculums to deal with this issue in the schooling system from prep to university. It should start at the prep or elementary level because a child’s first years of growth will surely affect his or her life later.
There should be awareness within the family that violence is not an answer to a problem. “Family is the social unit of a society and the country as a whole.”
Outreach activities should be provided by the organizations and institutions concerned to raise awareness in the communities because sometimes people do not know they can get help or are too scared or ashamed to come forward.
Lorraine Evangeline Basse (25) comes from Manam Island in Madang Province. She was born and raised in Goroka. She has just completed four years of studies at Divine Word University and will be graduating this year with a Bachelor in Communication Arts (Journalism). She is currently happily working with the Melanesian Institute in Goroka. She is the second eldest and the only girl in a family of eight children. Both of her parents are not working and she is currently taking care of her younger siblings. She likes reading books, writing poems and short stories, sewing and making necklaces and earrings. She also plays basketball, volleyball and soccer
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