Meaningful board accountability on gender-based violence requires clear standards, measurable targets and deadlines, but corporate action alone cannot address the wider prevalence of GBV in communities.

BSP Financial Group’s Group Chief Compliance Officer and Chair of its GBV Committee, Vandhna Narayan, made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Bel Isi PNG Leadership Forum.

Narayan was responding to a question on what meaningful board accountability should look like when implementation gaps, cultural barriers or inconsistent management practices are identified.

She said organisations need to hold people accountable by setting clear Key Performance Indicators, deadlines and standards that must be met.

“That’s about holding people accountable, having KPIs in place, having deadlines, setting standards that need to be reached,” she said.

But Narayan said corporate efforts must also be considered within the broader community where employees and customers live.

She said businesses can implement measures for their staff and customers, but those efforts will have limitations if GBV continues to be widespread in communities.

“As corporates, we do what we can do with our staff, with our customers. But all of our staff, all of our customers, are members of the community,” she said.

 Narayan, who is originally from Fiji and has lived in Papua New Guinea for more than six years, said the prevalence of GBV is a wider Pacific concern.

She said cultural practices should not be used to excuse violence or prevent action to address it.

She also challenged communities to place greater value on the safety and dignity of their people.

“Unless and until we actually start to value our people, very often we use culture as an excuse,” Narayan said.

She acknowledged the work of the Public Solicitor’s Office, the National GBV Secretariat and development partners in addressing GBV, while stressing that the private sector also has a role to play.

However, she said reducing and eventually eliminating GBV requires change beyond workplaces and corporate policies.

Her comments highlighted the need for accountability inside organisations to be matched by broader community action, particularly in addressing attitudes and practices that allow violence to continue.