Papua New Guinea’s new family and sexual violence hotline is already having an impact on both sides of the issue, with an even split of male and female callers in the first month.
Counsellors at the 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain received almost 250 calls from 21 out of the 22 provinces since the service was launched on 20 August, with the highest call volumes coming from NCD, Madang and East New Britain. Almost 150 people were helped by the hotline in its first few weeks with some callers requiring multiple follow-up call sessions to complete their cases.
Encouragingly, men made up 50 per cent of callers – not only men who have experienced abuse themselves but men who want to change their violent behaviour.
The top three presenting issues were family violence, sexual violence and child abuse, closely followed by child sexual abuse. The top three outcomes of the calls were crisis counselling by a trained phone counsellor, information provided at the request of the caller, and safety planning to help the caller explore and map out options to increase their safety. Referrals were also made to an extensive range of support services, including the police, medical help, legal assistance, safe houses, counselling services, family support centres and child welfare services.
“We are already seeing some very positive outcomes for individuals and families who are using the hotline,” said Margaret Gebai, operations coordinator for the service, which was developed by ChildFund Papua New Guinea in partnership with CIMC (FSVAC) and FHI 360.
“The fact that you can make a free call and remain totally anonymous makes it a very appealing option for women and men who want to seek help in private with no risk of being identified.
“We’ve had calls from both survivors and perpetrators of violence – we’ve also had a number of people reporting child abuse cases,” Ms Gebai added.
Detective Sergeant Michelle Harris from the Australian Federal Police, an advisor with the Family and Sexual Violence Unit of the Royal PNG Constabulary in Port Moresby, said the hotline is a much-needed initiative, particularly for women and families living in isolated areas who may not know what services exist within PNG to help them.
“If they call the hotline, they can get immediate counselling support and find out what options they have,” said Det Sgt Harris. “Just talking to somebody about these problems can give you some courage to take the next step that might be necessary to make life safer for you and your family.”
Wesh Siku, senior project officer at ChildFund Papua New Guinea, said children can be significantly impacted by violence in the home, whether or not they are being abused themselves.
“Children who witness or experience violence can go on to have many difficulties,”said Mr Siku. “They may start to struggle at school or even become aggressive themselves. It can cause problems into their adult life. We encourage anyone experiencing violence in their homes to call the hotline and ask for help, for the sake of your children.”
The ‘1-TOK KAUNSELIN HELPIM LAIN’ is a partnership between ChildFund Papua New Guinea, CIMC (FSVAC) and FHI 360, supported by the New Zealand Aid Programme, USAID, ChildFund New Zealand and ChildFund Australia.
715-08000 is the FREE number to call (within PNG only) to receive counselling and support for family and sexual violence issues.
ChildFund Cambodia and Educo in Cambodia formally sign a new collaboration agreement
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 18 September 2015 – Child-focused development agencies ChildFund Cambodia and Educo in Cambodia announced a new collaboration agreement at a formal signing ceremony today.
Educo is the newest member of the ChildFund Alliance, a worldwide group of 12 child-centred development organisations working in 58 countries to implement long-lasting and meaningful change for children and families living in poverty.
The decision to create a formal partnership between the two organisations in Cambodia will ensure that programs are delivered effectively, efficiently, and for the greatest benefit of vulnerable children and families.
Prashant Verma, ChildFund Cambodia Country Director, says: “Both organisations have a strong education focus, while ChildFund is increasingly delivering interventions in the areas of child protection, rights realisation as well as our traditional areas of health, livelihoods and water and sanitation.
“A closer working relationship between ourselves and Educo means we can share our experience and learnings, as we seek to find new ways to improve the lives of Cambodia’s poorest children and families. It also gives us the opportunity to seek larger grant-funded opportunities which are only available to NGOs working in a number of provinces in the country.”
Jojo Pastores, Country Director of Educo in Cambodia, says: “We are committed to implementing programs that will ensure the well-being of children in the regions where we work, particularly in the areas of education, child protection and governance, as well as community development interventions that will contribute to realisation of child rights as embodied in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
“Being a member of the ChildFund Alliance and forging this agreement with ChildFund Cambodia means we can leverage future initiatives to improve policy and programme environments in Cambodia for the well-being of children and their families.”
Currently, ChildFund Cambodia and Educo in Cambodia deliver programs to rural communities in Svay Rieng and Kratie, while Educo also operates in Battambang and the capital Phnom Penh.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About ChildFund Cambodia
ChildFund Cambodia is the representative office of ChildFund Australia – an independent and non-religious international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in the developing world. ChildFund began work in Cambodia in 2007, and today implements community development programs in Svay Rieng and Kratie province focusing on the needs of children and their families in the areas of child protection, child rights, education, livelihoods, local governance, nutrition, safe migration, water and sanitation, and youth. In collaboration with the United Nations and other development agencies, ChildFund established the Child Helpline Cambodia, which responds to the needs and children and youth across Cambodia.
About Educo in Cambodia
EDUCO’s mission is to work with children and their communities to promote just and equitable societies that guarantees their rights and well-being. Our vision is a world where all children fully enjoy their rights and lead a life of dignity. EDUCO in Cambodia started in 2005 with community development projects evolving into our current child rights based programming with particular attention on education, child protection and governance. EDUCO in Cambodia works with partners as well as directly implements projects. EDUCO works with KAFDOC (Khmer Association for Development of Country Side Cambodia) in Kratie provinces, SSO (Santa Sena Organisation) in Svay Rieng, SCC (Salvation Centre Cambodia) in Phnom Penh and KHEN (Khmer NGO for Education) in Battambang. EDUCO directly implements a project in Battambang on improving quality of schools and education.
About Prashant Verma, Country Director of ChildFund Cambodia
Prashant was appointed to the role of Country Director with ChildFund Cambodia in 2014. During his 23 year career in international development, he has worked in more than 11 countries in Africa (East, Central and West) and South-East Asia Regions, holding senior positions with international non-government organisations including Plan, Concern Worldwide and Care International. In addition to his extensive experience in child-focused development, Prashant has led program interventions in the areas of water and sanitation, livelihoods security, education, community health and nutrition, and HIV and AIDS.
About Jojo Pastores, Country Director of Educo in Cambodia
Jojo Pastores joined EDUCO in Cambodia in April 2015. Prior to this, he worked with various organisations in Cambodia for 16 years including World Vision Cambodia, EveryChild, and VBNK. Jojo also provided consultancy services within the South East Asia Region on organisation development processes (including strategic planning, change management, values clarifications) and programme and project development and evaluations. Before moving to Cambodia, Jojo worked in the Philippines for 14 years with various NGOs and one corporation. During his 30 years of development practise, Jojo has implemented and managed programs in child protection, partnerships and capacity building, community development (including adult literacy, community organising, health and nutrition, malaria prevention, sustainable agriculture and food security) as well as advocacy initiatives.
