MEDIA RELEASE | 09 November 2011 | ||
PNGPCL participates once again in White Ribbon Campaign The Corporation will launch the campaign internally on the Friday 18th November 2011 at PNGPCL Head Office. The objective of the launch aims to gather support and commitment from our staff and as a reminder for all (especially men) to be advocates against violence toward women and girls in our communities and villages. Last year, PNG Ports initially participated in this Campaign with the highlight of launching its Domestic Violence Policy as part of its efforts to eradicate this social issue. The objective of this Policy is to emphasis initiatives taken by PNG Ports to support this Campaign to raise awareness about the gender based violence at work and demonstrate the Company’s committment to providing its employees with a safe work environment that is free from inappropriate behavior. PNGPCL Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Brian Riches said: “PNGPCL is also committed to making a contribution to the community and the country of Papua New Guinea by addressing social issues such as domestic violence and in particular Violence Against Women and Girls. Furthermore, as a State Owned Enterprise, we would like our action to be an example to others and demonstrates GoPNGs’ commitment toward eradicating this social ‘plague’.” He said domestic violence can impact employee work productivity and efficiency through absenteeism, or ill health caused by extreme stress and with the policy in place, this would significant assist PNG Ports management to fight this issue in the workplace. “Domestic violence can have a profound impact on people’s lives and can contribute to poor performances at work. As an responsible corporate entity, we have a responsibility to play our part in attempting to eradicate domestic violence and in particular violence against women within PNG Ports Corporation and in the wider community. It is important that people’s attitudes and behavior change in relation to domestic violence, so that it is not an accepted part of life,” he said. Mr Riches urged relevant stakeholders including other corporate entities to join hands together so that women and girls in Papua New Guinea live a violence free life. PNG Ports has zero-tolerance policy for harassment or violence of any kind in the workplace. Any staff member who perpetrates domestic violence will be subject to disciplinary processes which may include immediate termination of their employment. For more information, please contact: | |||
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