Here is another interesting root from culture of PNG why violence against women here is prevalent.
They call this tradition “ BRIDE PRICE”...
BRIDE PRICE CEREMONY
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A Bride Price is a ceremony meaning the joining of a man and women, whereby the man's family would pay a price and present this gift to family of the Bride. In traditional times would mean food and livestock, but in more modern times means money, food even a house, depending on the wealth of man family and the worth of the female.
There is nothing fallacious in this tradition neither in its act nor in its context for that matter. After all, we also have a “dowry” system that is still a practicing culture amongst Bogobos and other Muslim tribes in the Philippines.
However, police said that “Bride price” is the major contributing factor today that’s why married men feel they can do anything to their wives here in Papua New Guinea. Many men regarded their wives as materials they bought from a shop and not as their partners. Police officials had received many reports about violence against women but when they arrested the husbands, they defended themselves by saying they had paid bride price. Further, they were often told the fault was with wives and the husbands reasoning is, “they decided to teach them a lesson”. As a result most husbands walked away free.
In my opinion, we shall affect the equality in gender on our own terms, when and where it matters. We shall take it up a notch and show our empowered selves as women, when and where it matters. Our gender shall never define our beliefs and capableness. You can only be weakened, if you allow others to weaken you. Thus, your values and your whole well-being shall characterize you as a person, but never the gender.
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