Child protection
Protection from violence, exploitation and abuse.
The challenge
The prevalence and incidence of violence against children and gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea are among the highest in the world. Physical, sexual, and emotional violence, as well as neglect, is a daily reality for most children in Papua New Guinea, making them feel unsafe in their homes and communities.
Although systematic data on violence against children is not available, the Global Report 2017, Know Violence in Childhood: A Global Learning Initiative, estimates that 75 percent of children in PNG experience some form of violence during their childhood, and 85 percent of fathers reported beating their children. The Demographic Health Survey, DHS 2016-2018 shows that 28 percent of girls and women ages 15-49 had experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, and 27 percent of girls were married before the age of 18.
Significant system gaps, lack of proper resourcing, limited institutional capacities, and enforcement of existing laws severely hinder the efforts to prevent and respond to violence.
The Child Protection System in PNG suffers from limited financial and institutional capacities. The prevalence of violence against children is also reflected in an inadequate social services workforce, weaknesses in governance, coordination mechanisms, law enforcement and judicial authorities, as well as a lack of funding for victims and witnesses of crime.
The juvenile justice systems are of low quality and hard to access, with the minimum age for criminal responsibility set at 10 years. There are issues like corporal punishment for children and adolescents, lack of procedural safeguards for children with disabilities, and no guardianship services for child victims. About 13 percent of the children under the age of 5 were registered with the civil authorities with only seven percent of them obtaining birth certificates.
Families and other duty bearers need opportunities to learn and develop skills in positive parenting and alternatives to violence and harmful practices. The reach, scope, and quality of protective services need to be improved to serve more people.
Solution
To ensure children and adolescent, especially those from vulnerable social groups, and those impacted by humanitarian crises, are protected from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, UNICEF supports the PNG Government to enhance child protection laws, policies and programs. UNICEF also helps strengthen child protection systems to improve preventive and responsive child protection services. We work closely with key partners in providing child protection services during emergencies, helping to shield children and women from gender-based violence and other risks.
