Evaluation of Family and Sexual Violence in Lae, Tari and the MSF OCA RTT project: Assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of projects (2016)

Family and Sexual Violence in PNG is pervasive and widespread, centered within the family and the extended family (wantok), and manifests itself as physical or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and social isolation. There is also a stigma attached to young survivors making it difficult to report. The endemic nature and high rates of violence within the family impact women and children the most in PNG.    
MSF’s decision to intervene came with ambivalence within the organization as PNG is a development context and not a classic emergency or natural disaster where MSF would normally intervene without reservation.  However, the widespread nature of the violence, the lack of the acknowledgement of the problem by the government and the lack of appropriate and available medical and psychological services to address the violence were factors that ultimately compelled MSF to intervene. 
In October 2015 an external consultant was hired by MSF to look at the effectiveness and sustainability of the different modes of care the organization had been using in PNG to address FSV.  The evaluator visited the FSCs in Tari, Port Moresby and Alotau, interviewed a range of key stakeholders including MSF national and international staff and national and international actors in PNG as part of the project evaluation.   

Document Author(s)
This publication was produced at the request and under the management of MSF OCA, with support from the Stockholm Evaluation Unit. It was prepared independently by Tania Bernath.
Publication date
30.05.2016