Intentional violence – including intercommunal fighting, family violence, and sexual and gender-based assaults, as well as attacks linked to sorcery accusations – remains a major cause of injuries and trauma in Papua New Guinea. However, due to the country’s rugged terrain and limited services, many remote communities struggle to obtain adequate care. 

In Jiwaka province, MSF supports the provincial health authorities to improve care for victims and survivors of violence, and bring it closer to their homes. Our activities centre on Minj health centre and its surrounding communities, including four health posts. Our aim is to strengthen referral and follow-up for all forms of violence, and improve privacy and confidentiality. To increase clinical skills, we deliver a training package covering medical and psychological first aid, wound care, and treatment for victims and survivors of gender-based violence, backed by donations of medical supplies. In 2025, our teams conducted training sessions across 15 facilities. In collaboration with the provincial health promotion division, MSF identified community health volunteers to share information, provide basic first aid, and refer victims and survivors of violence to health facilities for further care.