Protect women in Papua New Guinea
Dear friend,
Tapora is one of the incredible women we want to send to the UN next month. Can you chip in and make it happen? "I want to tell them what's real. No one can do that better than a PNG woman." - Tapora
To so many of the men of Papua New Guinea, Tapora and Sarah are invisible. And for their Government, it's convenient for them to remain that way.
Tapora and Sarah are women’s rights activists in a country where tens of thousands of women and girls are being raped, beaten or murdered in their own homes. At great risk to themselves, these courageous women have been fighting for a very long time to expose hundreds of harrowing stories; stories that they now need your help for the world to hear.
After decades of denial, under-resourcing and excuses, in just six weeks the PNG Government will report to the United Nations in New York about the steps it is taking to protect women’s rights. For the first time, Sarah and Tapora will have the chance to look officials in the eye and hold their government to account on the world stage.
With your help, we can make this happen: can you help fund Sarah and Tapora’s trip to the United Nations next month by chipping in $50 now?
Tapora is one of the most extraordinary women you’re ever likely to meet. She has a Master’s Degree in a country where most women barely read or write. She is a women’s rights champion in a land where women are frequently regarded as second class citizens. If we can give her, and women like her, a voice on the global stage, we will have a profound impact on the lives and future generations of all the women of Papua New Guinea.
Will you donate just $50 to send these powerful women to testify before the United Nations next month?
If just 500 people give $50 each, Sarah and Tapora will be boarding a plane to New York. But without their presence, when the moment comes to examine PNG's record of protecting women, officials can spout platitudes about progress and patience - without anyone revealing the real story of what life is like for women in a country where 60 per cent of men admit to participating in gang rape.
Tapora and Sarah's struggle is not just theirs, but all of ours, as we work to create a world where a woman’s right to safety and justice isn’t determined by her address. It’s a long way from the rugged highlands of Papua New Guinea to the centre of global diplomacy. When these brave women stand strong in New York, will you be standing with them?
Please contribute now, not just for Tapora and Sarah, but for all the daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers of PNG.
Thank you for being part of this historic journey,
Hannah Harborow
Stop Violence Against Women Campaigner
Amnesty International Australia
PS. It’s your help rallying to sign our 40,000-strong petition to the PNG Prime Minister that has taken us this far - with these incredible women one plane flight away from being heard on the global stage. Thank you.
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