S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSALS - PAPUA NEW GUINEA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT MORESBY 000031 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/GWI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM AID CDC COM TRSY PP SUBJECT: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSALS - PAPUA NEW GUINEA REF: STATE 132094, STATE 012531 PORT MORES 00000031 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. Embassy Port Moresby is pleased to submit a proposal received from the Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council (CIMC),Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee, Skills and Literacy Training Program for Women as Papua New Guinea's second preference from post. BACKGROUND ¶2. The Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC) is one of CIMCs 12 sectoral committees. The FSVAC is a coalition of NGOs, Government. and private sector organizations. There are twenty provincial FSVACs, comprised of NGOs, Government. and private sector organization. The FSVAC was established in 2000. Its basic purpose to work towards reducing the occurrence of and suffering caused by physical, sexual and psychological violence especially between family members in the home environment. The FSVAC does this through implementation of the Integrated Long Term Strategy. The Integrated Long Term Strategy (2001-2006) is an outcome of a study conducted in 2001 to analyze the family and sexual violence situation in PNG. The Integrated Long-Term Strategy identifies six (6) areas for the committee to focus its work on. Institutional strengthening; legal reform; services for victims; working with perpetrators and potential perpetrators; Community prevention and responses; trafficking of women and children and data collection and research. SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM ¶3. The FSVAC in 2008 and 2009 conducted skills trainings with former sex workers identified by the various organizations which have planned programs running. The skills trainings targeted sex workers especially young women who had been forced to sell sex to survive. After the trainings we found that many of those trained could not utilize their skills because they are illiterate or lack funds to purchase items that would assist them to start a new life. Therefore we propose this next phase of skills training include literacy training for those who need it and to provide start up funds for the sex workers starting a new life . PROJECT DESCRIPTION ¶4. The government of PNG does not offer programs and projects to assist women, especially young women and men involved in the sex trade or in conflict with the law. Faith-based organizations run Boys Towns where male children are sent for rehabilitation but there are no such programs for female children. Typically, girls run afoul of the law by entering into the sex trade and thus participating in this informal and illegal business sector. Women and young girls are involved 90% of this informal sector trade. The girls are further marginalized by being illiterate and unskilled; there are not many jobs for unskilled labor in PNG, and those involved in the informal business sector have very few options to further their trade because they lack technology and the know- how. There have been alarming figures released in the last two years revealing that PNG children are in situations ripe for being exploited as child labor and in the child sex trade. PNG is not an industrialized country and does not have child labor problems in the manufacturing and industrial sector, but there is evidence of child labor in the homes with children adopted or fostered. A recent of immigrants from various parts of Asia in recent years has apparently facilitated the entry of some forms of organized crimes involved in the child sex trade, which various sources state is now booming here. The revised Child Welfare Act revealed that the percentage of working adults is less than the children who are dependents. The Orphan and Vulnerable Children's Report 2004 by Juliet Hunt and, PORT MORES 00000031 002.2 OF 003 the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Survey 2004 by Elizabeth Cox showed that PNG is ripe for sexual exploitation and, sexual abuse of children. They reported the following: 827,500 to 1, 344, 600 children live in violent homes 50% of the victims who report being raped are under the age of 15 1,034,300 adolescents are at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse Unemployed and desperately poor parents with no form of social assistance sell their daughters to brokers Children caught up in the system of sex work, are extremely vulnerable and usually remain in sex work as adults. Children separated from their biological parents are at high risk of abuse 10% of the households include adopted children and stepchildren - most adoption and fostering is done outside of the legal system 9% (220,000) of children fewer than 18 years of age are missing one or both parents. 10, 000 children live on the streets, homeless or are abandon - about 5000 of these children live in Port Moresby streets The last Census report showed that 676 households in rural areas were headed by children aged 10 and 14 INTERNATIONAL TRAFFICKING OF OWMNE AND CHILDREN: FSVAC is seeing the effects of young men and women going into the sex trade, either to survive or to escape from abuse at home. We also are seeing domestic trafficking of young girls and children in the sex trade. This trafficking occurs among provinces; for example, married men who are land/resource owners with money come to urban areas seeking what money can buy including women. The level of poverty in urban areas and the need for cash to purchase goods and services forces many young women into the sex trade or makes them readily agreeable to marry men with cash. These young women are transported to the villages by these men and find themselves in very violent situation with the husbands, their wives and the families. There are children also involved from these relationships. Closely related to this is intermarriage among people from different provinces. A spouse (usually a wife) comes from another province, and is abused for this reason. In such relationships, the women and children suffer greatly; PNG lacks the resources to repatriate them to their home provinces. These problems and the increased in poverty levels that many families are now faced with in the home has forced many young men and women to seek friends on the streets to survive. Many of these young men and women are selling sex because they are illiterate and, lack funds to get into any training or income generating activities. BUDGET ¶5. Two Days National Workshop $30,000.00 Provincial and District Workshops $40,000.00 Adult Literacy Training $20,000.00 Start up Funds $10,000.00 PORT MORES 00000031 003.2 OF 003 Total $100,000.00 PARTNER ORGANIZATION ¶6. The FSVAC partnership that will implement the project PACsE (People Against Child Sexual Exploitation) is a coalition of NGOs, Government and private sector individuals and organizations who are working together against child sexual exploitation in PNG. PACsE has developed a national plan of action to address the issues of child sexual exploitation, education and public awareness on child sex trade and tourism Poro Supot is an NGO based in Port Moresby, supported by Save the Children New Zealand. The organization works with sex workers, providing information on sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. The organization runs a drop in centre and a clinic for HIV testing; policing officers' visit night clubs distribute information, encourage sex workers to drop in for testing and collect condoms used by both men and women. PNG-WeCARE is a new organization also working with young girls between the age of 10 and 15 who are in the sex trade. We-Care PNG runs literacy programs with sex workers at the Morata settlements and Hohola suburb. Young girls who have dropped out of schools because they cannot afford fees are sponsored back to school PNG-YWCA has a sex workers programs, teaching skills, educational awareness and literacy training. The Catholic Life Skills Training Centre based in Port Moresby offers skills training to women who would like to go into micro economic activities (informal sector). In PNG 95% of those involved in informal sector activities are women. At graduation these women are either presented with sewing machines, or bolts of materials, or pots depending on what areas they have received training in. They also may receive financial assistance to purchase necessary equipment through the Micro Finance Credit Scheme. The Individual Community Human Rights Advocacy Forum (ICRAF), Catholic Family Services, Family Support Centers, Government Welfare Services, Safe Houses (Crisis Centers),Provincial FSVACs and the community advocates are organizations and individuals that provide counseling and defend human rights. These are the organizations that seek funding for repatriation of women and children. Provincial Family and Sexual Violence Action Committees are provincial committees established to coordinate programs at the provincial levels. BERG