A free hotline offering counselling to victims of domestic and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea was launched on Wednesday in response to widespread violence against women and girls.

The impoverished South Pacific nation is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a women due to gender-based violence, and did not make domestic violence a criminal offence until 2013.

Two-thirds of women and girls in Papua New Guinea are victims of physical or sexual violence during their lives, according to ChildFund, the charity which launched the hotline.

“Papua New Guinea has a staggering reputation for violence against women and children, particularly young girls,” ChildFund CEO Paul Brown said at the launch in the capital Port Moresby.

The phone line will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, providing counselling, information, guidance and referrals for care at local services, ChildFund said.

“Counselling is a critical aspect of this service,” Brown said. “It can assist survivors through the immediate crisis and help stabilise emotions; provide options, information and resources; and guide them through the processes of seeking medical care, protection and legal recourse.”

Papua New Guinea is largely rural, and its high level of mobile phone ownership – three in four people have a mobile – makes the hotline the best form of contact with victims, according to ChildFund.

The charity is working with the University of Papua New Guinea on a counselling qualification, to train counsellors and expand the service, which has been funded by the New Zealand government and charitable donations.