Country Report: Papua New Guinea

Source: (2004) Visiting Experts’ Papers, 123rd International Senior Seminar, Resource Material Series No. 63, pp. 142-152. Tokyo: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute For the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. Downloaded 10 February 2005.

Papua New Guinea has legislation policies, which are directed at the protection of victims of crime. The
Papua New Guinea Constitution speaks of the Basic Rights of all people (Division 3. Basic Rights. Sections
32-56) but not specifically on the ‘victims of crimes’. The Papua New Guinea Department of Attorney
General in its 2000 Policy on Community Corrections further made a commitment to protect the victims of
crime in Papua New Guinea. The ten year plan – The National Law and Justice Policy and Plan of Action
2001-2010 entitled Towards Restorative Justice pursues very strongly the development of a Victim Support
Policy. The Policy states: “Developing a Victim Support Policy promotes another goal of the law and Justice
Policy. That goal is to bring the victims of crime and conflict back into the centre of the law and justice process.
All too often, victims are either ignored or sidelined under the current system. A vital step towards restoring
confidence and genuine fairness in law and justice processes is to recognise the injury suffered by victims and to support when appropriate. The aim of this policy is to evaluate and strengthen the existing support
structures such as the women’s refuges; Police Sexual Offences Section; the parole and probation; Life Line,
social workers at the hospitals; the churches; criminal compensation; the courts; and the non-government
organizations who are taking the lead to provide assistance to the victims of crime. (excerpt)