Family and Sexual Violence Units - Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary

Since 2007-08, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) has established specialised Family and Sexual Violence Units (FSVUs), funded and technically supported by the Australian Government (DFAT) and UN Women, in response to a national intimate-partner violence prevalence estimated at nearly 60% of women aged 15-49 - among the highest rates recorded worldwide. The model was formalised under PNG's 2013 Family Protection Act and paired with 22 hospital-based Family Support Centres, one per province.
In the Waigani/National Capital District unit, one reporting period recorded 2,013 family-and-sexual-violence cases, leading to 195 arrests, 11 convictions and 960 referrals to health, legal and social services - figures published by the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, which also reported 25 Australian-funded units and 106 officers operating nationally at that time.
A 2015 Human Rights Watch investigation found only 7 of the 17 units then established were 'fully functioning,' citing chronic understaffing (as few as three officers per unit in the Highlands), a lack of vehicles and fuel blocking rural response, and a tendency for police to push informal reconciliation rather than arrest or prosecution - reflected in the low arrest-to-conviction ratio. The programme remains substantially dependent on continued Australian aid funding, and reach into remote provinces stays limited.

Read the full analysis: https://png.embassy.gov.au/pmsb/787.html