Sabra Lane: A warning, this next story may be distressing for some listeners as it discusses the spiralling rates of domestic violence in Papua New Guinea. The government says it's a national crisis. A new report found more than 60% of women have been abused by their partners, more than double the global average. As the government finalises a new 10-year plan to confront it, our PNG correspondent, Marianne Farr, speaks with people on the front line.
Marian Faa : Fiona has been with her second husband for more than seven years. For safety reasons, she's not using her real name. She says the abuse started early in their relationship.
Fiona: He keeps weapons nearby, a long machete, rubber hose and belt. He puts it near the lamp and sleeps. If we don't have sex, he hits me. If I refuse sex, he hits me.
Fiona: Poverty and his controlling behaviour have kept her trapped in the cycle of violence and physical abuse.
Fiona: He would lock the door so I cannot get out.
Marian Faa : It's impacted her and her youngest son.
Fiona: When other children would eat ice cream or soft drinks or chew lollies, I would take my son away. I don't want him to see them and beg them to share.
Marian Faa : While harrowing, Fiona's experience isn't unique in Papua New Guinea, where gender-based violence has been declared a national crisis. Shirley Kalpa runs a safe house in the capital Port Moresby and says the issue is getting worse.
Shirley Kaupa : The escalation of violence is going like 100 steps ahead of us.
Marian Faa : A new government report sponsored by the UN found rates of domestic violence have increased by 210% in the past four decades. It also found 64% of women in 2025 experienced intimate partner violence, more than double the global average. Shirley Kalpa says across PNG, frontline services like her's are underfunded and overwhelmed.
Shirley Kaupa : Even though we don't have money, we don't have budget, we don't have resources, but at least we can provide you something.
Marian Faa : Another example is the Police Family and Sexual Violence Unit. Its budget for this year was just $100,000 for the entire country to cover both wages and operations. Shirley says that's clearly not enough.
Shirley Kaupa : Women that work in the FSVU, there may be two or three in the FSVU and you are looking at almost 100 survivors coming a day and they are burnt out.
Marian Faa : Fiona says she reported her husband to police once.
Fiona: There was a time he came after drinking and beat me up with a metal rod.
Marian Faa : He was arrested, she says, but bailed himself out and the police didn't follow up.
Fiona: He came back and continued to beat me. He got close to me, continued the assault.
Marian Faa : PNG police did not respond to the ABC's request for comment. The PNG government is now reviewing a new 10-year strategy aimed at reducing gender-based violence, which will cost $65 million annually. Powers Parkop is the chair of PNG's Permanent Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, which has been driving the strategy. He says key reforms include bolstering police, building more safe houses, programs for perpetrators and better coordination of funding.
Powes Parkop : If we put all the funding together through the GBV Secretariat, then they will monitor it and make sure that it's having impact.
Marian Faa : That's after the last 10-year strategy failed to meet its objectives, partly due to government funding delays. Shirley Kalpa says that must not happen again.
Shirley Kaupa : We want the leadership to be improved. We want the budget to be permanent.
Sabra Lane: That's Shirley Kalpa from the Magna Carta Safe House, ending that report by Marion Farr.