INTRODUCTION
Papua New Guinea continues to be a perilous environment for women and girls, with over 1.5 million individuals affected by gender-based violence (GBV) annually. Despite the introduction of legal frameworks to promote the rights of women and children, they are not properly executed, leaving many to be troubled and lose their lives. Against this backdrop, survivors of GBV are unable to get the appropriate support owing to a lack of services and dedicated personnel (Human Rights Watch, 2024).
GBV is described as actions that can inflict economic, mental, physical, and sexual suffering on account of a person’s gender or sex. This is considered a violation of human rights because it puts victims in unsafe and fatal situations where their lives are harmed, in some cases, possibly leading to death. While it may be agonising for women, girls, men, and boys, GBV is encountered by women and girls particularly. One-third of women are estimated to face sexual or physical violence over the course of their lives. For this reason, it is a serious matter to tackle in the global endeavour for gender equality (UNCHR, n.d.).
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS REINFORCING GBV
Papua New Guinea practices several traditions that are problematic for enabling the marginalisation of women, which poses several risks to their health and safety. Polygyny is still common, where a man is simultaneously married to multiple wives. Another norm is the bride price, which compels the groom’s family to present the bride’s family with financial or any form of material assets. Such practices can be traced back to the pre-colonial era, which associated the customs with men’s social standing and sexual ability.
Polygyne is being criticised by health authorities due to its link to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, which is also becoming a problem in Papua New Guinea. It can encourage unsafe sexual conduct and exacerbate the manifestation of uneven power dynamics in the form of sexual abuse and domestic violence. For instance, the tradition of bride price payments may denote that the husband and his relatives have ownership over the bride, which may make her vulnerable to mistreatment. With economic growth, an increasing number of men are able to afford the settlement of bride pay in contrast to the old tradition when it was only attainable for chief leaders (Shih et al., 2017).
Child marriage is also an occurrence in the country, with girls as young as 15 to 19 becoming brides and experiencing teenage pregnancy. This has detrimental outcomes for these girls because of the underlying medical concerns associated with adolescent pregnancy, which is one of the major causes of death among teenage girls worldwide. Their bodies are susceptible to complications since they are not prepared to undergo pregnancy and bear a child. Furthermore, child marriage interrupts education (UNFPA, 2023) because young mothers have to take care of their infants. Hence, child marriage widens the literacy gap between girls and boys, preventing the former from obtaining educational qualifications to advance their professional prospects.
APPALLING SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
Violence induces extensive repercussions, especially to children because exposure to such acts at a young age can impede the formation of the brain and broader nervous system, which will have effects that could last a lifetime. Compromised intellectual growth may entail underperformance in academic training, and these conditions may produce an inclination for children to discontinue their education, influencing their capacity to enter the workforce.
Beyond that, growing up in adversities may induce a higher rate of mental issues like anxiety and depression. In the same light, sexually-related assaults can instigate unwanted or adolescent pregnancies, unsafe abortions that could endanger the lives of both mother and child, and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (UNICEF Papua New Guinea, 2021). Violence has a profound capacity to rob children of their childhood and strain communities by causing widespread repercussions. It also perpetuates a cycle of violence that is reproduced in the next generation of children, making it more crucial to break the damaging pattern.
Aside from the physical, psychological, and sexual aftermath, GBV can also expose women to financial and social devastation. The trauma brought by abuse may trigger victims to isolate themselves from external interactions, including showing up to work, partaking in social functions, and attending to themselves or their family (WHO, 2024).
REALITY ON THE GROUND
In a horrible event on February 8th, 2025 Emmanuel Numbalihi was brutally killed by her partner of six years, who is also the father of her two children. He was allegedly jealous, locked up Emmanuel in a room to beat her up, then filmed her in a violent state to confess in a video that she committed adultery, which was circulated to her friends (Baroi, 2025).
A week later, on February 15th, 2025 a gruesome case of rape and murder took place in the capital, Port Moresby, which serves as a reminder of the brutal reality that women and girls are facing. A woman named Margaret Gabriel was kidnapped by 20 armed men from her home, where she was forcefully extracted and taken to a barren hill. An unspeakable terror awaited her as she was physically battered, mutilated, and sexually assaulted, which all led to her demise (PNG News Update, 2025).
STEPS MOVING FORWARD
Papua New Guinea took a bold step as the first country from the Pacific to join the Pathfinding mission by the United Nations Secretary-General in a submitted request by the government on March 19th, 2021. The movement to become a Pathfinding country for the End Violence Partnership signifies the country’s dedication to undertake steps and administer policies to safeguard children from all forms of violence, abuse, and neglect based on global standards (UNICEF Papua New Guinea, 2021).
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Honourable James Marape implores for robust measures and support from citizens to end GBV. He appeals for women to receive protection, be respected as the foundations of society, and be empowered. The government unveiled an overview of the reforms that will be set in motion as part of its resolve to address the causes of GBV. This includes reappraising the existing legal framework to toughen punishment and guarantee that the perpetrators will be penalised. A special unit in charge of GBV-related cases will also be launched in the police department to prevent the constant dismissal and suspension of cases. As a means to foster empowerment, the Prime Minister is pushing for a plan to offer girls access to free education, which will be available from the primary level until university.
With regard to reinforcing equal career opportunities, the Labour Department is given the responsibility to ensure that women have a safe working environment that is free from harassment and that they receive fair compensation and chances for advancement. In line with this objective, there is a proposal to assess the constitution, particularly Sections 101 and 102, which allow the Parliament to appoint up to three designated members to occupy seats. This mechanism could be used to grant women leadership roles and increase their representation in the government. Women entrepreneurs will also be furnished with financial aid and a credit system to help with their businesses. Furthermore, a critical conversation and reevaluation of cultural traditions are called for, as some of them are deemed obsolete and perpetuate violence and discrimination (Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council, 2025).
CONCLUSION
Numerous women and girls’ lives are put in danger by GBV as it persists to be a deep-rooted problem in Papua New Guinea. Even if measures were exploited to scale up the legal and implementation power to address the issue by raising awareness and adopting legislation, progress has been slow, and the situation continues to worsen for many.
It is apparent that the precarious consequences extend beyond individual victims, affecting families, communities, and the nation’s overall development. Therefore, a collective effort is required from all levels of the country to strengthen the protection of women and challenge customs and notions that underpin their mistreatment. There is a pressing necessity to defeat the pattern of violence by filling in the shortcomings through the acknowledgement of the importance of women and girls in households, backed by community engagements and government interventions that empower and protect them while reforming the harmful narratives that further inequality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baroi, M. (2025, February 12). Father seeks justice for alleged torture, killing of daughter. Post Courier. https://www.postcourier.com.pg/father-seeks-justice-for-alleged-torture-killing-of-daughter1/
Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council. (2025, March 19). Prime Minister Marape Calls for Urgent Action to Protect and Empower Women in Papua New Guinea. https://pmnec.gov.pg/prime-minister-marape-calls-for-urgent-action-to-protect-and-empower-women-in-papua-new-guinea/
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Shih, P., Worth, H., Travaglia, J., & Kelly-Hanku, A. (2017). ‘good culture, bad culture’: Polygyny, cultural change and structural drivers of HIV in Papua New Guinea. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 19(9), 1024–1037. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2017.1287957
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UNHCR. (n.d.). Gender-based violence. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/protection/gender-based-violence
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