Initially targeting one community, the Sepik Social Youth Movement is creating the domino effect seen in Wewak and this can be attributed to the hard work and efforts of vibrant youth and community leaders.
President, Mr. Xavier Wablasu states that he is equally surprised and content with the outcome of the awareness that is carried out in the Province.
Wablasu added that this is evident from the amount of weapons and homebrew making materials surrendered by the communities.
“For us its ten times positive. It started with 1 community and now it’s grown an arm and a leg of its own. It stated with Meni, then moved on to Boram, Boram Junction to the Army Barracks side and now to Nuigo, the heart of the town, one of the notorious communities have given up arms now.”
Over a dozen communities have now surrendered arms over the past month since the movement started and Wablasu says this is all thanks to the youths from the Wewak Chapter that have put in the hard yards to make this possible.
“It’s the leadership in Wewak that’s been doing the hard yards, the Wewak chapter led by Gilbert Sari and the youths alongside the community leaders.”
He further added that the eradication of these dangerous weapons is a good sign moving forward, stating the if they do not take actions to keep the town safe, no one knows what the future might hold if they let people run around with these weapons in hand.
Wablasu thanked the East Sepik Province Governor, Allan Bird for his active involvement in campaigning against the Wire Catapult and engaging it as a National Agenda.
He then added that they have already engaged a lawyer to look at tools in which they can look at to utilize to run changes to legislation granting harsher penalties to offenders thus acting as a deterrent to future offenders.