Gender based violence is a major problem in many countries and certainly in Papua New Guinea, where it is sometimes referred to as an epidemic. In PNG, there is increasing recognition of the need to address gender based violence, or family and sexual violence as it is often referred to, by way of growing awareness and prevention programs as well as support to victims or survivors. This paper considers one part of this growing national response – the creation and early years of the Lae based NGO, Femili PNG.
This article appears in the Development Bulletin: Urban Development in the Pacific, n 78, August 2017, edited by Pamela Thomas and Meg Keen.