Harnessing community-led innovations: the role of participatory media in addressing gender-based violence

ABSTRACT

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a key development challenge. In Papua New Guinea, a country with one of the highest rates of GBV, the issue has been prioritised in the national development agenda. The programme Yumi Kirapim Senis (Together Creating Change) was created to support the development of the National GBV Strategy. To build on existing understandings and workable solutions in communities, six community-led programmes were examined. This article explores a crucial component of the initiative which utilised participatory visual media to bridge communication gaps between national agencies and communities to drive social change at all levels.

La violence basée sur le genre (VBG) continue de représenter un défi majeur pour le développement. En Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, un pays ayant l’un des taux les plus élevés de VBG, le problème a été inscrit dans les priorités du programme national de développement. Le programme Yumi Kirapim Senis (Créer du Changement Ensemble) a été créé pour appuyer le développement de la stratégie nationale de lutte contre la VBG. Afin de tirer parti des compréhensions existantes et des solutions réalisables dans les communautés, six programmes conduits par des communautés ont été examinés. Cet article explore une composante cruciale de l’initiative qui a utilisé un média visuel participatif pour combler le déficit de communication entre les agences nationales et les communautés, afin de stimuler le changement social à tous les niveaux.

La violencia basada en el género (vbg) continúa siendo un importante reto en el ámbito del desarrollo. En Papúa Nueva Guinea, donde se registra una de las tasas más elevadas de vbg, la agenda nacional de desarrollo ha dado alta prioridad a este tema. Así, se instauró el programa Yumi Kirapim Senis (Juntos creamos el cambio), con el fin de apoyar la elaboración de la estrategia nacional contra la vbg. En este sentido, se analizaron seis programas comunitarios con el propósito de construir sobre la comprensión existente y encontrar soluciones que resultaran viables en las comunidades. El presente artículo examina un componente fundamental de dicha iniciativa, esto es, los medios visuales participativos; los mismos se orientan a reducir la distancia existente en la comunicación entre las agencias nacionales y las comunidades, para impulsar el cambio social en todos los niveles.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender and diversity
• Civil society – Participation
• Technology – Media
• Governance and public policy
• Oceania and Japan

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of photo workshop facilitators Llane Munau and Dilen Doiki. We thank the participating organisations and individuals who shared their stories.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Verena Thomas is Senior Research Fellow in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology. She is the former Director of the Centre for Social and Creative Media, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea (2012–16), where she remains a Visiting Scholar.

Jackie Kauli is Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology. She is a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Social and Creative Media, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea.

Anou Borrey is Senior Gender Advisor to the Papua New Guinea United Nations Development Programme. She has extensive experience working on justice, governance, and gender in PNG and in post-conflict settings.

ORCID

Verena Thomas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9851-1364

Jackie Kauli http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9800-1997

Notes

1. National plans and strategies such as the Mid-Term Development Plan 2011–15, the PNG Development Strategic Plan 2010–30, and PNG Vision 2050, jointly set out to achieve the target of zero tolerance to GBV, which coincides with the target captured in the Sustainable Development Goals.

2. See www.hrw.org/report/2015/11/04/bashed/family-violence-papua-new-guinea

3. Human rights defenders are community activists that promote human rights and gender equality in communities, as well as mediate conflicts at community level. In PNG there are several networks of human rights defenders supporting each other to create safer community environments.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Papua New Guinea and the Australian Government's Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development program as part of the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership.