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\ About Us \ Countries Where We Work \ Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

OUR WORK IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a richly diverse cultural heritage, with over 850 different indigenous languages and thousands of clan groups throughout the country. However, PNG’s development progress is hindered by a combination of weak governance, regressive attitudes about the role of women, poor infrastructure, and localised loyalties that overwhelm a commitment to national interests. Women fare worse than men in every metric, from health, education and employment to positions of leadership in society, and there are high levels of violence against women and girls.

Oxfam has worked in PNG to secure women’s rights by influencing legislation and policy, supporting survivors of violence, facilitating new economic opportunities, championing women’s participation and changing the harmful attitudes of men and boys.

KEY AREAS OF WORK

Gender Justice

Humanitarian Aid

Economic Justice

OUR PROJECTS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Eliminating Family and Community Violence project

Two-thirds of women in PNG have experienced physical or sexual abuse. Oxfam is working with five local organisations – which are led by women survivors of violence – to deliver crisis counselling, access to referral networks, and reintegration. The project supports these organisations to influence national resources and policies to end violence against women and girls. We also facilitate conversations with communities to prompt reflection on the cause, impact and consequence of violence, and influence behaviour change among men and boys through campaigns and group activities.

This project is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.

Responding to and Prevention of Sorcery Accusation-Related Violence project

A belief in sorcery or witchcraft is widely held in PNG, and a person accused of sorcery is likely to be subjected to violence, torture or even death. Oxfam is working with our local partners to prevent and respond to sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) by encouraging the implementation of laws condemning SARV and complementing local efforts to improve access to support services, increase awareness and improve education.

Good Governance and Social Accountability project

Papua New Guinea’s development progress lags countries with similar national output per capita. Weak governance results in negligent or misguided financial investment, and there is limited community action to hold the government accountable. Oxfam is improving governance in the Eastern Highlands region by supporting community members to form coalitions and raise their concerns with local authorities, while also working with power holders to assist them in responding in a transparent and equitable way. This project is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.

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