Prime Minister (PM) James Marape has reiterated his call to the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Public Service to make Domestic Violence a sackable offence for public servants when speaking to the staff of Prime Minister & National Executive Council (NEC). PM Marape stressed this as he reminded Papua New Guinean men to revisit the original structure of the family unit as designed by God, and their responsibility as the leader of their families in contributing to the wellbeing of the PNG society. Mr. Marape and his wife, Mrs. Rachael Marape addressed female employees of the Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council (NEC) at Melanesia House to mark Mother’s Day, celebrated throughout the world on Sunday, 11th May 2025. PM Marape opened the small event with words on the importance of families in the proper make-up of societies, the order and structure of families with the father as the head and leader of the family, the mother as the bearer of children and nurturer, and children and their wellbeing as the ultimate objective of a family. He aligned these principles as set out in the Bible with Adam as one half the family and Eve, his wife and helper, the other half. “There is no better place for a point of reference than the Bible – the Word of God, the Creator of the world. The first government on Earth was the government by Adam, Eve and God at the centre. That is the fundamental base. When Eve disobeyed God, it was Adam God called first. The responsibility of the family, therefore, lies with the man first and foremost,” he said. “To the menfolk, you have the greater responsibility to take care of women and the children. In our 50th anniversary – in case you think there is a greater task ahead for you, so you are still searching and ignoring your tasks as fathers in our society – this is it. You cannot be a good leader in the community, at your workplace, or wherever you want to be, if you cannot lead your own families. To reset our country as we head into our 50th year, the greater responsibility must come from within our families. Men must rise and take the lead of each of their families. “The women of PNG have been faithfully toiling the last 49 years, singing ‘O arise all you sons, and doing their part in silence and in pain. The woman is the other half of the man, the helpmate for the husband. The men of our country must take greater responsibility,” said PM Marape. He called on the Chief Secretary Ivan Pomaleu to see to it that male public servants who abuse their wives at home are sacked for this, mentioning also that bride price and the “purchase” of women must be banned. Mrs. Marape complemented the Prime Minister’s speech by recounting her experiences as mother and ‘first lady’ of the country, while emphasizing the importance of wives submitting to their husbands. “As mothers, we have responsibility. I want to touch on a point that has been a challenge to me, but I tried as much as possible. As wives, we must submit to our husbands. Why I am saying that is because as mothers, we bear children and we are attached to the children, and the fathers don’t really feel this. When there are any issues, we keep looking after the children – keep them at home, keep them in school, keep them in church,” she said. Mrs. Marape also acknowledged the role her husband played in helping her to take care of their family at home while she pursued her accounting studies.