Joy Wartovo sufferred serious physical abuse (pictured) at the hands of her policeman husband for six years before he was arrested and suspended from work in January. But Simon Bernard was never prosecuted for his crimes and last week Joy was back in hospital being treated for stab wounds inflicted by her husband....

Please send an email to new Police Commissioner, Tom Kulunga, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Simon Bernard. Kulunga has been in the top job less than a week and he needs to know what his priority should be.

Joy was first featured on the ACT NOW! blog in December last year [1] when her story of six years of abuse, together with that of another police wife [2] prompted AN! to contact the Police Commissioner to demand action. Joy's husband was subsequently arrested and suspended from duty, but he was never prosecuted - which is the norm in this male dominated and frequently corrupt, society.

But last week Joy was back in the news [3] and back in the hospital suffering knife wounds as a result of another brutal attack from her husband - with police reportedly afraid to act because he is being 'protected' by other police officers [4]. 

We need to take a stand and force action on the terrible physical abuse suffered by women, like Joy, and children in Papua New Guinea.

Ordinary Papua New Guinean's are incensed and want action on domestic violence - but they need OUR HELP to make their voices heard by senior law enforcement officers and politicians.

Violence against women and children in particular is a huge problem in Papua New Guinea and it exacts a terrible toll.

The statistics should speak for themselves:

• Two out of three women experience domestic violence and 50 percent of women have experienced forced sex, rape or gang rape[5]
• UNICEF estimates around 1 million children in PNG live with violence either at home or in their community [6],  and 
• Out of the 136 countries listed on the UNDP’s gender development index, PNG ranks at just 124, placing it in the bottom 10% of countries worldwide [7]

But it is the personal tragedy experienced by Joy Wartovo, that has shocked PNG and created a small window of opportunity to press for change.

Please use YOUR VOICE to help force tougher action on the perpetrators of domestic violence. Together we can ensure justice for abused women and children...

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1. http://www.actnowpng.org/content/another-cop-husband-another-wife-beater

2. http://www.actnowpng.org/content/my-husband-policeman-he-has-shot-me-twice

3. http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111004/news02.htm

4. http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2011/October/10-06-15.htm

5. http://www.msf.org.au/resources/multimedia/photo-galleries/photo-gallery...

6. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/papuang_30991.html

7. http://www.oxfam.org.au/about-us/countries-where-we-work/papua-new-guinea