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PC
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Date Posted: Thu, Mar 29 2007, 01:46:13pm
News Wednesday 28th March , 2007
Charge MP, says group
A PARLIAMENTARIAN from Western Highlands, who had allegedly raped a young woman and later decided to marry her, must be brought to justice.
Consultative Implementation Monitoring Committee's Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC) made this call yesterday and described the MPs action as disgraceful.
The committee had also called for leaders in the MP's area to ensure he was brought to trial and condemned the actions of those who had accepted compensation as a form of punishment for the parliamentarian's actions.
They said paying compensation for crimes such as rape in the Highlands hindered the efforts of those fighting for recognition of the rights of the children and women in PNG.
It aggravates the issues while perpetrators get away with crimes being committed and victims are left with long-term trauma and physical disabilities, they said.
The committee, headed by Dr Lawrence Kalinoe, said a leader in such a position should be immediately dismissed from office or resign to uphold the respect for the law and the dignity of the office he represented.
This is not an isolated case because we keep hearing rumours that many leaders are involved in such sexual activities and they (leaders) think that by being elected members or men with money in their pockets they can ask for any women or girl that they fancy, the committee said.
They said PNG needed role models and not elected leaders, who can use culture to hide from their crimes.
Elected leaders are supposed to be examples to the people they represent but this was sending the wrong message to people in the community, they said.
It also gave the impression to the world there were different laws for elected leaders from the rest of Papua New Guineans, and that it is alright for a child or women to be raped, they said.
The commmittee supported the Police Commissioner Gary Baki in his efforts to use the law and have the MP charged, urging the woman's relatives to co-operate with the police and ensure this happened
http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20070328/wehome.htm
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