Parkop declares 2016 a year for women and girls

Caption: Governor Parkop posing with women wearing the ‘Safe City for Women and Girls’ awareness t-shirts worn for today’s walk for life.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, March 13, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

TO mark International Women’s Day on Tuesday, NCD Governor Powes Parkop has declared 2016 a year for the safety for women and girls in the city.

He said as the municipal authority of the nation’s capital would take various steps to improve the well-being of women through their day to day movement within the city.

“Today is International Women’s Day, it is a significant day globally and our city and our country cannot be an exception. I am here to announce the steps we are taking to address gender equality especially, but more importantly, for the purpose for our city and our country to announce initiatives we are taking to move our city to be safer and to bring peace,” Governor Parkop said.

“International women’s day is an effort by women all over the world and historically achieve gender equality and in our country it is a goal that we must achieve all equality, irrespective of sex, tribal affiliations, and nationalities.”

“Today I would like to announce that in our city this year I declare that we must all aim to achieve a city that is safe and is peaceful for women and girls. That is the best commitment that we as a people and a nation can show to the country.”

He called for more respect from men in the city, adding that with the status of the country goes hand-in-hand, as judgement by numerous international reports of gender violence.

“The nation cannot hold itself high to be a dignified people and country, subscribing to higher virtues if we do not have that respect for mothers and girls,” he said.

“We are doing badly, all the reports that are going out by the United Nations, by organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres are all shocking. It is a big wakeup call on all of us to take this issue seriously.”

“Violence is retarding our people and it is shaming us and embarrassing us to the world generally. As governor and a national leader I continue to discuss and am shocked that violence continues to affect our families and our communities, our towns and cities and our country.”

“I want to see a holistic approach by the police, community, and parliament to increase the penalty on perpetrators.”

He said despite the efforts of governments, organisations, and individuals, there is still a lot yet to be made.

“There has been a lot of effort from that end from NGOs, Churches, community based organisations, but we have come to a critical stage where there must be a strategy to counter gender based violence of all forms.”

“On this occasion there cannot be any better thing to do to address this than to adopt the national strategy to deal with violence.”

The governor also, through his Walk for Life campaign, held this morning, dedicated the walk to the safety and respect of women in the capital.