With International Women’s Day coming up on Sunday, March 8, it’s worth noting that the Family Support Centre (FSC) at Tari Hospital is busier than ever before.
Proudly supported by Oil Search Foundation (OSF) and operated by Hela’s Provincial Health Authority (PHA), the Centre saw an 85% increase in clients throughout the course of last year.
In total, more than 1,100 new women and girls came through its doors in 2019 who received more than 2,720 free and confidential services.
“We have been very busy lately,” confirms the Nurse Unit Manager, Sister Claire Lembo. “Every month, we are seeing around 100 survivors of sexual, family and domestic violence, and sometimes general violence and child abuse. Fortunately, we can offer them a with a wide range of services, from medical care, counselling, and contraception, to clothes, books and a safe place to shelter.”
“If they are sexual violence cases, we are also careful to provide medication to prevent women from being infected with sexual transmitted diseases like HIV,” she adds.
The FSC also provides medical and social assessments to assist in the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators. Such assessments can also help District Courts decide whether to issue protection orders.
Many may wonder whether the recent surge in clients reflects an increase in family and sexual violence across Hela, or just a greater willingness to seek help?
“It is impossible to say without more baseline data,” says Hela PHA CEO Dr James Kintwa, “but the fact that more survivors of violence are coming definitely shows that they are more aware that there are services that they can access, and that is definitely a good thing.”
Part of this increasing awareness may be due to the ongoing community outreach campaigns being conducted by the Hela PHA Public Health and FSV teams with support of OSF. “Our province-wide program of awareness raising-activities reached more than 8,000 people over the course of last year’ Dr Kintwa confirms.
OSF Chief Executive Stephanie Copus-Campbell expects that with increasing awareness the Centre’s caseload will increase yet again throughout 2020 and grow still more in the decade to come.
“The PNG Demographic Health Survey estimated that around 58% of PNG women experience violence at some point in their lifetimes. These sorts of statistics are simply not acceptable and we will continue to work with our partners at the national, provincial and district levels of government to address funding needs and support for services that meet the needs of survivors, including support for perpetrators who are seeking assistance to change behaviour.”
“But in the meantime, I think that this Sunday is a great time to celebrate people like Sister Claire and her team - who, no doubt, will be hard at work!”
Established by Medicines San Frontiers in 2009, and restored by Oil Search Foundation in 2016, the Family Support Centre was the first one of its kind in Hela province. Two more have since been set up in Magarima and Koroba.
-Oil Search Foundation
