Improving children’s justice in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea police and legal professionals will be better prepared to investigate and prosecute crimes against children following a workshop in Port Moresby this week.
The workshop is sharing international best practices for the collection of evidence from children in a sensitive manner. It will help to improve investigators’ and prosecutors’ interviewing and examining skills to gather high quality evidence from children and others vulnerable to family and sexual violence.
The workshop at Grand Papua Hotel was opened on Monday, 24 November, by the Public Prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin, Public Solicitor Fraser Pitpit and Australian High Commission Minister Counsellor Rod Hilton.
“Both the OPP and the RPNGC identified that improvements in these skills could significantly improve the delivery of justice, particularly for the prosecution of a crime that affects significant numbers of women and children in Papua New Guinea,” Mr Hilton said.
“It is crucial to respect and encourage these witnesses and survivors to come forward, and, when they are confident to do so, to provide professional investigative services. Improvements in interviewing and examining techniques will minimise the impact for survivors in having to recall and describe traumatic crimes they’ve experienced and witnessed.”
The workshop, attended by 20 prosecutors and 20 police officers, will include sessions on child development and medical evidence in child sexual offences, as well as interviewing and reducing trauma.
The workshop is facilitated by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, and the Office of the Public Prosecutor, in collaboration with the Queensland Police Service and Public Prosecutors. It is funded by the Papua New Guinea-Australia Law and Justice Partnership – Transition Program (PALJP-TP), which is assisting PNG’s efforts to increase access to justice and support for women and children vulnerable to family and sexual violence.
The workshop is also supported by the Papua New Guinea-Australia Policing Partnership, and the Strongim Gavman Program. Specially trained members of the Australian Federal Police are working alongside the Royal Papua New Guinea’s Constabulary’s Family and Sexual Violence and Sexual Offences Squads to share knowledge and transfer skills.
Similarly, the Strongim Gavman Program’s specialist lawyer prosecutors work in the Office of the Public Prosecutor to assist in building capacity to effectively prosecute family and sexual violence and other crime.
The Australian Government is committed to supporting Papua New Guinea’s efforts to address family and sexual violence, promoting gender equality and working to help PNG strengthen its legal systems.