Restoring livelihoods for peace in Papua New Guinea

INTERVIEW/ Rachael Hinton

Rocked by violence in the 90's, Papua New Guinea is currently the setting of a number of peace building initiatives that have since taken on significant roles in violence reduction. One important partner of local initiatives is Oxfam New Zealand (ONZ)'s Highlands Peacebuilding and Conflict Reduction program active in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, home to 40% of the population.

Comunidad Segura interviewed ONZ researcher Rachael Hinton, who lives and works in the Highlands, about peace initiatives in the area, the importance of building effective partnerships and the vital need to ensure livelihoods when allying security to development. One example is how the women’s organization KWP found a way to lower the levels of male violence associated with elections:

“Unlike previous national elections in the area, there were no outbreaks of tribal violence, no guns were present at polling, and no ballot papers were stolen or signed prior to voting. These conditions, together with extensive voter education, also contributed to an improvement in the representation of female voters,” wrote Rachael Hinton in an exclusive interview to Comunidad Segura.

Where in PNG is Oxfam currently based?

Oxfam currently works in the Highlands, a region made up of five provinces on the mainland of PNG. The Highlands has 40% of the 5 million population of PNG. Oxfam’s lessons learnt from their peacebuilding work in post-conflict Bougainville in the 1990’s informed the development of the Oxfam Highlands Programme.

What is the key concept for Oxfam programs in the Highlands?

It is about Peacebuilding. Together with its research and livelihoods components, Oxfam works with partners who address the underlying triggers of conflict and violence in their areas as part of its peacebuilding programme.

Oxfam’s work involves a number of interlinked programs, could you tell us more?

The Oxfam Highlands Programme consists of three integrated components, partner support, security and community initiatives research (SACIR) and livelihoods. We work with three locally based non-government organisations, based in two graphically distinct areas of the Highlands. Kup Women for Peace (KWP) and Community Development Agency (CDA) are based in two different rural areas of Simbu Province and Community Based Health Care (CBHC) is based in the Southern Highlands Province.

The Kup Women for Peace was important in securing peaceful elections, could you tell me more about their work?

KWP for example is a women’s led organisation that developed in response to over two decades of tribal conflict in their communities, which resulted in the withdrawal of all government services, a displaced population and an increase in human rights abuses. KWP has been conducting peacebuilding work since 1999 which includes preventing tribal conflict in a holistic way by improving community justice structures and livelihood activities, community policing, tribal watch, HIV care and counselling and human rights training and awareness, with a particular focus on reducing violence against women and women’s rights abuses.

KWP works with traditional leadership and government structures to reduce violent conflict in their area and there has been a marked reduction in tribal violence and other forms of violence in the Kup district. Oxfam supports their partners by assisting them to build their capacity to effectively meet their identified needs. This includes helping partners to improve their management systems and structures, planning and documentation and monitoring and evaluation in a way that is appropriate to their organisational needs.

How do security and development issues relate to the elections process in Papua New Guinean Highlands?

The national elections in PNG often involve corrupt election practices, intimidation and violence, which can escalate to large scale tribal conflict. During the 2007 national elections, the KWP took on a leading role in improving the validity of the electoral process, it targeted underlying triggers of election-related conflict to in turn create conditions for peace throughout the Kup sub-district.

What strategies did the women’s group use to diminish violence?

KWP used a three-pronged strategy: voter education activities, (focusing on voters rights, the democratic process, voting practices), the launch of a programme focusing on improving livelihoods, and a Violence-free Election Campaign advocacy project.

How did improving livelihoods help stop young males from getting involved in violence during the elections?

The Livelihoods Programme, which specifically targeted male youth, provided them with an alternative to violent election-related activities. 54 youth groups received project materials including goats, rabbits, chicken, pigs, cement bags, and pipes for fish ponds, and the project was expected to directly benefit 3,000 to 4,000 people. By “settling the youths down and keep them busy” the KWP aimed to reduce some of the causes and motivations for election-related violence and to engage them in development activities that  benefit not only themselves, but also their families and communities.

In order to ensure peaceful elections KWP also reached out to candidates...

KWP were also very direct in targeting intending candidates, though advocacy for a Violence-free Election 2007. The candidates were invited to attend the Livelihoods launch, asked to commit themselves to a violence-free election and sign an agreement in public. Of the 14 candidates invited, 11 attended and all gave assurances to the community that they would support a violence-free and gun-free election. Widespread voter education, combined with the fact that KWP was a locally respected organization that was facilitating polling activities, is seen to have contributed to improvements in voting practices and polling outcomes.

What were the results?

Unlike previous national elections in the area, there were no outbreaks of tribal violence, no guns were present at polling, and no ballot papers were stolen or signed prior to voting. These conditions, together with extensive voter education, also contributed to an improvement in the representation of female voters

Could you tell us a little bit about how ONZ became involved in peacebuilding in the PNG?

The Oxfam Highlands Peacebuilding and Conflict Reduction programme was set up in 2005 by Oxfam New Zealand. Parts of the Highlands region experience serious outbreaks of intergroup and tribal violence, there is increasing lawlessness, high rates of violence against women and a deterioration of government infrastructure, such as schools, police and health services. On a positive note however, local, home grown non-government organisations have developed in response and are working to reduce violence and improve human rights in their communities. It is with three of these groups that Oxfam has been working for the past 3 years.

You mentioned that research is key to developing programs that counter insecurity…

We established the Security and Initiatives Research project, SACIR, as a research component to support the peacebuilding program. The aim is to better understand the security context in which our partners worked and how and why local solutions (such as our partners) develop in response.

What are the goals of field-based research?

Its task is to exploring the gendered nature of violence, and the impacts of violence and insecurity on people’s lives. A solid evidence base gives strength to Oxfam’s advocacy for increased rights to life and security through greater government accountability, and for greater recognition of the security links to gender, essential services, health and livelihoods. By promoting the initiatives such as those of our partners that adhere to good development practice, we can offer alternative options and fresh perspectives to addressing the security needs of women, marginalized groups and local populations.

Lastly, livelihoods is a growing component that has again developed in response to our partners' needs. A water and sanitation project is well established, and Oxfam is working with partners to provide practical measures to ensure sustainable peace, alternatives to crime and improve people’s quality of life. As you can see, the Oxfam highlands programme takes an integrated approach so that all of the components strengthen and integrated community development model that focus on peacebuilding.

How do researchers reach communities? How has this influenced actions in peacebuilding and development?

All of our programming work is conducting with partners who are based in rural communities that typically have limited social and economic services, poor roads and other infrastructure and limited economic opportunities. Their work is targeted at all community members, male and female, adult and youth. Different activities are conducted to meet the diverse identified needs of the community, such as livelihood strategies are directed at young male and female youth by KWP in order to support them with income generation opportunities, and alternatives to crime or seeking cash by illegitimate or risky means.

Are there, however groups that have special needs?

The SACIR project is conducted with male and female adults and youth in order to gain a broad perspective on people’s security needs, and the gender differences in experiences of violence. The action-research processes engages with those who are affected by violence and insecurity to explore their own situation, develop their own criteria of risks and elaborate their own ideas about what appropriate interventions look like. The project is giving voice to groups vulnerable to violence, draws attention to a broadened notion of security and to locally appropriate intervention strategies that are addressing security needs. One community for example is rebuilding and staffing its elementary school and aid post in response to one of their more commonly recognised insecurity needs, that being lack of service provision and limited freedom of movement.

Oxfam is also a part of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (PNG), are guns a major concern in PNG? Where do they come from?

Guns are increasingly being used in tribal warfare, criminal and domestic violence and political conflict. Some evidence suggests that firearms mostly supplied by soldiers and police, financed, facilitated and deployed by politicians and senior public servants, although anecdotal evidence also supports claims of exchanging drugs for small arms across PNG borders. Home-made guns abound, becoming more sophisticated and firearms for rent and skilled marksman are becoming a new tier of criminal leadership. Our partner work and research shows that gun violence contributes to social disadvantage, limits provision of and access to services, reduces livelihood opportunities. There are many accounts in PNG of human rights abuses being committed by armed criminals and police. However, it is important to note, that guns are one of a multiple of weapons used to assault others.

How does gun violence compare with other forms of violence in PGN?

A survey Oxfam is conducting in collaboration with a hospital in the Southern Highlands shows that in 80% of assaults, a weapon is used, and over 45% of the time, that weapon is a bush knife (more commonly known as a machete). This does not take account of the unrecorded cases of other weapon use, including gun violence, for which we believe for a variety of reasons (distance, cost, minor injury, fear of attack, limited freedom of movement) people don’t present to the hospital. In any case, it has been suggested that the risk of death by any method in Southern Highlands 100 times higher than Australia. This is obviously not a good statistic and as such, the strategy is work to reduce armed violent and other types of violence by targeting the key triggers and underlying structural determinants of violence.