The Office of the Public Prosecutor officially opened the Victim Support Office.
Right Honorable Prime Minister, Bob Loughman cut the ribbon of the newly renovated office space, in the presence of Honorable Pierre Fournier - French Ambassador, UNDP Representative - Mr. Donald Wouloseje, Mr Josaia Naigulevu, Public Prosecutor, and Ms. Seman Naomi Dalesa - Director of the Department of Women’s Affairs (DWA).
The event also combined the launch of the Victim Support Manual, the Mutual Legal Assistance Manual, the Anti-Corruption Authority Investigator's Manual, and the Anti[1]Corruption Authority Database, a series of resources to support victims and respond to crime. With the support of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, the Office of the Public Prosecutor (OPP) refurbished the Victims Support Office and built children’s playground to create safe spaces for women and child victims inside and within the precinct of the office. The renovation has created a dedicated confidential office space to be used by victims of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) for consultation and engagement with experts and service providers who include forensic medical clinicians, psychologists, police officers, and social welfare officers. In addition, the new Office combines a safe space where women can rest and nurse their babies, and a new children’s playground area. Vanuatu has alarmingly high rates of violence against women by intimate partners as reported in the Vanuatu National Survey on Women’s Lives and Family Relationships undertaken in 2009 by the Vanuatu Women’s Centre in partnership with the Vanuatu National Statistics Office. “With this new Victim Support Centre we are enabling women and children to exercise their right to access justice and fair treatment”, said Josaia Naigulevu, Public Prosecutor, OPP. “Victims have rights, they are entitled to access the mechanisms of justice, and the OPP is designing services centered around the victim's needs to grant them proper access to resources. We are working across sectors and taking all possible measures to minimize inconvenience and create safe spaces where victims can be assisted and treated with compassion and respect for their dignity”, he concluded.