PORT MORESBY 27 December 2021: The Coalition of Parliamentarians to End Gender Based Violence has called on Minister for Police Hon William Onglo and Commissioner for Police David Manning to order urgent action by police officers to investigate and make arrests in relation to two videos depicting brutal violence against women that have been brought to their attention. The incidents allegedly occurred in the Enga and Southern Highlands Provinces.
Governor Powes Parkop, Co-Chair of the Coalition stated: “I am absolutely appalled by the horrendous acts of violence captured in these two videos. It makes me sick to my stomach and is completely unacceptable in our society. There can be no excuse for the perpetrators and we must make sure they are immediately held to account.”
He went on to state: “We need special police units deployed ASAP into the areas where these cases took place to immediately investigate, collect evidence and make arrests. Police also should not wait for crime to be reported. They should just act on such evidence or reports and go after the offenders.”
As a former lawyer himself, Governor Parkop stated: “We also need a special prosecutor to focus on these crimes, to ensure that there is prosecution. If necessary, I want our Coalition to be officially advised by the Department of Justice whether the laws need to be amended so that we can use the videos we have seen as reliable and acceptable evidence in Court – if this must be done, then lets do it. Such videos must be made admissible, because we know that witnesses are not coming forward due to fear of retribution or retaliation.”
Governor Parkop was supported by Hon Charles Abel, the Chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Based Violence who also called for action in relation to the cases in the two videos, and more generally. Hon Abel also stated: “This violence is absolutely sickening. I cannot stand to watch one more video such as this, which shows such depraved conduct. We must make sure that arrests are made and a strong message sent to the citizens of our country that such barbaric crimes against their fellow citizens will simply not be tolerated.”
“My heart bleeds as I witness such a horrible video. For too long, we have failed to take real action. We must do more." -- Hon Jelta Wong, Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS
This same sentiment was echoed by another member of the Coalition, Governor Garry Juffa, who stated: “We watch such videos and get outraged – but then too many of us go back to whatever we were doing and fail our women out there. Every member of our Coalition of MPs is committed to taking action in our own provinces and districts, but we also need our government partners in law enforcement to work with us. The police MUST act to investigate, the prosecutors must properly take these cases forwards, and the courts must impose proper punishments for such grotesque crimes.
Governor Juffa went on to say: “I also encourage the MPs from the districts where these depraved acts took place to immediately work with relevant authorities to find out what happened and support them to take proper action. As MPs, we all have a duty to show that we have zero-tolerance for such actions. We must all say no to violence.”
The Coalition is co-chaired by Governor Parkop and Governor Allan Bird. It is a voluntary Coalition of 20 MP’s who stand steadfastly again GBV. The Coalition is comprised of Ministers, Governors and Open Members of Parliament who want to use their positions of leadership to drive change and improve the lives of women and children across the country. More information on the Coalition and its activities can be found at www.unitedforequalitypng.com.
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Authorized by:
Governor Powes Parkop, Co-Chair
Coalition of Parliamentarians to End Gender-based Violence
27 December 2021
Media Contact:
Office of Hon. Powes Parkop, MP, Coalition Co-Chair
Ph: +675 3277515 , Fax: +675 3277480