Ongoing social issues faced in the Highlands include:​

• Tribal warfare
• Sorcery killings
• Gender-based violence (rape, torture, domestic violence, sexual abuse)
• Polygamy and marriage practices
• Lack of social justice generally at the district, regional and national level
• Police brutality and corruption, including bribery
• Forced disappearances
• Drug abuse and youth unemployment
• Poverty
• Child marriage
• Unwanted pregnancies and lack of support and acceptance for single mothers
• Lack of basic government service delivery and infrastructure development
• Human trafficking in mining, logging and industrial areas
• Guns and violence (linked with politicians and upper echelons of society)
• “Angry young men” phenomenon and weakening of traditional social mechanisms
• Arms trafficking
• HIV/AIDS
• Lack of health services or knowledge on sanitation and hygiene
• Wantok system
• Natural resource management, land disputes and exports

Challenges faced by Women Human Rights Defenders working in their own communities on these social issues include:

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• 40% of the population of PNG live in the Highlands, an area which geographically is difficult to travel around and to access when working as a Human Rights Defender.
• Parts of the Highlands region are dogged by frequent tribal warfare and insecurity.
• Increase in lawlessness and conflict associated with rapidly emerging larger patterns of development such as roads being built and mines opened, as well as a large youth population frequently addicted to drugs and home brewed alcohol.
• Deteriorating government services and infrastructure contribute to inequity, inequality and a greater demand for guns due to economic need and security fears making human rights work difficult to carry out.
• Social disruption, internal displacement, lack of access to social services, destruction of livelihoods and the ongoing impact of violence on women and children makes social welfare work difficult.
• Some human rights defenders face discrimination in communities due to the nature of their work and their challenging of traditional gender norms and values.
• Ineffective practices of security or support from law enforcement bodies.
• Rights defenders face constant intimidation and threats from others and often fear for their own lives when helping victims/survivors.

Despite the many challenges present when implementing programs designed to reduce violence and promote peace, local WHRDs remain strong in the face of adversity drawn from a strong volunteer spirit to bring about peace and to uphold human rights in their communities.