“Gender-based violence is an emergency. It should not be regarded as normal.”

These were the words of the Officer in Charge at the Family Support Center in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Mr. Benako Teiyo.

“There should be a one-stop shop for the survivors to receive both medical and psychosocial treatment,” said Mr Teiyo.

The Family Support Centre, a section of Goroka Base Hospital, is designed to serve as this one-stop shop for survivors of violence who present to the hospital. As healthcare providers are one of the first responders to instances of violence, these centres are a critical lifeline for survivors to access support services, including safe houses and justice services.

Mr. Teiyo stressed how the incidence of GBV in the country is increasing and the need for FSC’s need to be fully resourced to continue providing quality services.

The Family Support Center in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, in addition to providing counseling, health assessments, and medication, also provides dignity kits.  These dignity kits are provided by the United Nations Population Fund country office to Family Support Centers to ensure that basic health and hygiene supplies are readily available for women and girls during times of crisis, or in this case, abuse.

“We have distributed 35 dignity kits in the past 6 months,” said Mr Teiyo. “We do this when we have cases here at the FSC where the survivors are homeless due to the abuse, when they cannot afford basic pads or underwear, when their hygiene is not being maintained, and when they request these items.”

As Mr Teiyo has found, the benefits of these kits go beyond providing for the basic hygiene needs of these individuals.

“One benefit I have noticed is the improvement of the psychosocial and physical well-being of women and girls after using the dignity kits,” he shared. “They are more comfortable with their bodies and it improves their confidence.”

“I am grateful to UNFPA for its continuous support. It has helped the FSC immensely in providing quality basic services to these GBV survivors.”

Mr. Teiyo also shared how health providers in Eastern Highlands can further support survivors by training staff on referral pathways and case management. Together with medical and psychosocial support, connecting survivors with other support services is part of a comprehensive suite of services that can break the cycle of violence and keep survivors safe from violence.

In 2023, UNFPA has distributed over 800 dignity kits across the Highlands Region through our partners and with support from the Australian Government and USAID. In the next quarter, the organization will distribute a further 850 dignity kits for women and girls displaced by violence in Enga Province with support from USAID.