PORT MORESBY, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) - Papua New Guinea authorities were urged to stamp out violence against women Tuesday after reports of a horrific attack in which a pregnant mother's baby was pulled from her womb.

More than 50 women, many dressed in black, attended parliament as the country's only woman MP, Community Development Minister Dame Carol Kidu, presented a petition calling for more action to end violence against women.

Kidu cited a horrifying incident where a woman was badly beaten by her husband then had her unborn child ripped from her womb.

"Sadly these horrific crimes are occurring on a regular basis in PNG," she told parliament.

PNG's Post-Courier newspaper reported last week that a 24-year-old Mount Hagen man was on the run after beating his seven-month pregnant wife, pulling her baby from her body and killing it, before pouring boiling water on her.

Kidu said there was a feeling of dismay and helplessness in the community and said it was a matter of national importance that the government combats such brutal violence.

While crime and lawlessness are the most highly publicised problems facing the tiny South Pacific nation of six million people, rates of family and sexual violence are also extremely high, according to Amnesty International.

Women's advocate group campaigner Winfred Kitu says the idea behind the petition was to remind the law and justice sector of its responsibilities.

"Agencies such as the police, the judiciary as not strong enough to implement these laws" she told AFP.

"We want to strengthen the legislation that will give acceptable penalties equal the brutality of the act."

Although reliable crime statistics are not available UNICEF says there is little doubt that Papua New Guinea faces an epidemic of serious violent crime.

Gender inequities and the prevalence of abuse and sexual violence against women within the home and community have been identified amongst the major factors contributing to the rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS in the country.

Conservative estimates by international donor countries put PNG's HIV infection rate at two percent of the population.

Girls are infected at a younger age than boys which has led to girls between 15 and 19 having the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the country.

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