Across the country leaders and advocates work to tackle the root causes of an ‘epidemic’ that affects two-thirds of women in their lifetime
In a country where violence is often shrouded in silence, Tahina Booth is trying to break the cycle with something as simple as passing a ball.
The former athlete runs programmes aimed at reducing harm to women in some of Papua New Guinea’s most dangerous regions. Her story starts with pain.
“I was raped at age seven,” she says. “That experience shaped the questions that have driven my life: why is violence normal? And what would it take to build something different – especially for girls growing up in places like mine?”
In Papua New Guinea, two-thirds of women will experience violence in their lifetime. Earlier this year the brutal murders of two women in separate acts of extreme violence sparked national outrage and renewed calls for action. Leading human rights activist Ruth Kissam says gender-based violence – which includes domestic and sexual violence, and killings related to sorcery accusations – permeates every level of society. Violence is often not reported due to fear of retaliation or a lack of faith in the justice system.
