Debating Appropriate Approaches to Violence in Lihir: The Challenges of Addressing Gender Violence in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Recent years have seen a proliferation of initiatives aimed at addressing gender violence both at the national and local levels in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Numerous studies in PNG have noted high levels of violence. This paper takes a range of initiatives in the Lihir Islands, New Ireland Province (NIP), as a case study to discuss the challenges of speaking about, creating policy and attempting to manage gender violence. In Lihir there have been marches against violence, business initiatives to combat violence, outreach programs to villages and training programs for individuals and groups. These changes occur locally within the national context of the establishment of the Family Protection Act in 2013 and the Family Violence and Sexual Action Committee in 2000. Despite the seeming groundswell against gender violence in Lihir, the plans and programs are often met with debate about the terms used, the value of programs or events and their appropriateness. Initiatives are critiqued as externally imposed, colonial or inappropriate for the local context which has implications for programs at both local and national levels.

Keywords:

• Gender Violence
• Papua New Guinea
• Research
• Policy
• Family Protection Act
• Demonstrations
• Debate

Acknowledgements

This paper could not have been written without the long-term relationships developed with Lihirians and others working in the Lihir Islands. Thanks also to practical support from Nick Bainton, as well as many discussions with himself and Martha Macintyre. Staff of Newcrest Mining and Anitua generously offered their time and viewpoints on the issue of gender violence.

ORCID

Susan R. Hemer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3056-8428

Notes

1 This includes a year of fieldwork in 1997–1998, return visits in 1998, 1999 and 2000; two years’ employment in 2000–2002, and return visits in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

2 Literally, ‘marching is killing you and violence is killing you still’.

3 A number of terms are used in the literature to refer to gender violence, including ‘gender-based violence’, gendered violence and violence against women. I use gender violence as it is more inclusive than ‘violence against women’, but I do not want to get mired in a debate here about the shades of meaning and virtues of each of these terms (see Biersack & Macintyre 2016, 4).

4 For details on the range of entities and terms in this paper see Biersack (2016).

5 This focus mirrors what is occurring in global contexts, such as The Lancet edition (2014) with a clear focus on violence against women and girls.

6 But see Amnesty International (2006, 30–31) which suggests that while amendments to laws are necessary, there were provisions under the law already by 2006 which allowed prosecution and punishment of acts of violence against women.

7 The details of the training and counselling program are for the female trainer and her co-creators to share in their own time (Abirafeh 2009).

Additional information

Funding

Research on which this paper was based was funded through the Barbara Kidman Fellowship at the University of Adelaide (2016).