Ume Wainetti , from

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

(PNG), was the National Coordinator of the PNG Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC).

Activities

Sibaio Ume Wainetti was National Coordinator of the PNG Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC) from 2002 to 2017. FSVAC was set up in 2000 to be the principal national body to coordinate activities to address family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea. It is believed that the majority of women in Papua New Guinea have been beaten or raped by a partner or family member. The goal of FSVAC is to reduce the occurrence and suffering caused by physical, sexual and psychological violence within families and increasing access to support services and justice for survivors of family and sexual violence. The committee seeks to develop programmes that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, providing healthcare, refuge and legal services, as well as counselling. Under Wainetti’s guidance, FSVAC was able to ensure the introduction of a Family Violence Law in PNG, and a new National Strategy on Gender-Based Violence was developed. In 2011, following investigations that confirmed that women had been raped by security guards at the

Porgera Gold Mine The Porgera Gold Mine is a large gold and silver mining operation in near Porgera, Enga province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), located at the head of the Porgera Valley. The mine is situated in the rain forest covered highlands at an altitude of 2,200 ...

Enga Province Enga is one of the provinces in Papua New Guinea (PNG). It is located in the north most region of the highlands of PNG, having been divided from the Western Highlands to become a separate province when the provinces were created at the time of in ...

, Wainetti, together with Dame

Carol Kidu Dame Carol Anne Kidu ( Millwater; born 10 October 1948), also known as Carol, Lady Kidu, DBE, is an Australian-born Papua New Guinean politician. Kidu was the only female Member of Parliament in the 2002–2007 and 2007–2012 National Parl ...

, was responsible the process of compensating survivors. Wainetti is now a board advisor to the PNG Counselling Association. This association arose out of work carried out to support victims of sexual violence, when it was recognised that the lack of qualified counsellors was a weakness in the support being provided. The association has established a training curriculum and a one-year diploma course, as well as a national qualification framework, and quality assurance system for counsellors.

Awards and honours

*Wainetti was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the

2007 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2007 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 17 June 2007, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2007.Antigua & Barbuda list: The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and a ...

References

External links

Wainetti talks to a conference in Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wainetti, Ume Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Papua New Guinean women's rights activists Papua New Guinean women activists