Femili PNG had the pleasure of hosting Rosie Batty, the 2015 Australian of the Year, in Papua New Guinea from 24 to 28 April 2017.
Rosie is a leader in the movement to end family violence in Australia – she began campaigning for better responses to family violence after her 11 year old son Luke Batty was murdered by his father in a public assault in 2014.
While in PNG, Rosie visited Lae and Port Moresby and met with survivors of violence, Femili PNG staff and family and sexual violence service providers. She gave public lectures at the PNG University of Technology in Lae and the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, sharing panels and generating discussion of the issues among PNG men, women and youth. You can listen to the audio from these lectures here. She also spoke at fundraising dinners in Lae and Port Moresby.
At the end of the visit, Rosie noted that there is still a lot of shame surrounding family violence in both Australia and Papua New Guinea, and that people are suffering in silence. She stressed the importance of survivors reaching out for help.
Femili PNG Case Work Manager Evan Bieso travelled with Rosie and said that “survivors of family and sexual violence in PNG were empowered to learn from Rosie that not only Papua New Guinean women face this sort of violence, and that is a global problem”.
Femili PNG would like to thank our corporate partners who made the visit possible: Steamships, Cardno and Trukai Industries Ltd.
Media
Rosie was accompanied to PNG by journalist Lisa Martin from Australian Associated Press. Some of Lisa’s stories are linked below.
Rosie Batty talk domestic violence in PNG, The Australian, 27 April, 2017
A mother at 11 then back to primary school, SBS, 1 May 2017
Babies killed in PNG cop’s wife bashings, News.com.au, 3 May 2017
Other articles:
Trukai givs to FPNG, The National, April 3 2017
Rosie Batty to visit PNG, Pacific Beat, 20 April 2017
Family, sexual violence a problem: Firm, The National, 24 April 2017
Rosie Batty Visits PNG Universities, The Voice PNG, 2 May 2017
PNG Australia Partnership Focused on Empowering Women and Ending Gender-Based Violence, EM TV Online, 5 May 2017
“It has opened my mind” – anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty visits PNG, Pacific Beat, 9 May 2017
Acknowledgements
Femili PNG is grateful for the assistance of many supporters of Rosie Batty’s visit to PNG, including the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, the Australian Consulate-General in Lae, Steamships, Cardno, Trukai Industries Ltd, Guard Dog Security, the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development program, Oxfam, the PNG Business Coalition for Women, the national Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee, the Justice Services and Stability for Development program, the PNG University of Technology and the University of Papua New Guinea.
Photos:
Major sponsors of Rosie Batty’s visit:
Supporting sponsors and partners of Rosie Batty’s visit:
