That puts her in the minority of her country and among her Orchids teammates, who were cobbled together from all over PNG less than three months ago to play in this month's women's rugby league World Cup.

Domestic and sexual violence has long been rife throughout Australia's nearest neighbour, the mainland of which sits just six kilometres away from Queensland's northern-most inhabited point, Boigu Island.

That PNG are represented at this historic women's tournament is almost unbelievable. The majority of Neap's teammates are unemployed, single mothers from the various rural settlements across the rugby league-mad country.

Neap, mother to two-year-old son Zayne, has escaped the endemic brutality most of the country's female population have experienced, but she has witnessed domestic violence first-hand.

"I've never experienced that but I come from a place where men have several wives, and beat them up," Neap told Fairfax Media.

"I've seen it a lot and grown up with it. It's not something that I have experienced but I've seen my family experience it.

"Domestic violence is really big there, men beating the woman and abusing the women and children, it's really big. We always have, because of the bride price issue, guys think they own the ladies and they beat them up."

It is common in many parts of PNG for men to buy wives from the woman's family, and multiple spouses are not rare.

The 'bride price' can be money, but also valuable shells, or livestock. Once purchased, men believe they can treat their wife as they please.

PNG experiences the highest levels of domestic violence in the world outside of conflict areas. And the statistics are as confronting as they are harrowing.

In 2010 the United Nations Development Fund for Women released a report, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, after compiling data across the Pacific nations.

It revealed nationwide 67 per cent of women were beaten by their husbands, a figure that reaches 100 per cent in some Highland settlements. Forms of abuse included punching, kicking, burning and cutting with machetes or other weapons.

The report also stated 65.3 per cent of women were survivors of sexual violence.

Furthermore are the brutal murders of people accused of sorcery – women are six times more likely to suffer this fate than men, according to an Amnesty International report in 2006.

Torture methods of accused sorcerers include breaking bones, branding with red-hot metal and amputation. Methods of killing those who survived the initial torture included being hurled from a cliff, stoning, being burned alive, beheading and electrocution.

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) have had a presence in PNG for a quarter of a decade offering medical and psychological help to victims. Its research paints an equally bleak picture.

Its data found 75 per cent of children experience abuse, and that 55 per cent of sexual violence court cases since 2012 have involved victims under 16 years of age.

Of abuse survivors, almost 50 per cent cited intimate partner violence, and 97 per cent of those had injuries requiring treatment from bruising and cuts to significant trauma, open wounds and permanent injuries.

In a country where rugby league is revered above all else, the Orchids' participation in the World Cup potentially has the power to initiate a significant cultural and societal shift in PNG.

"Most girls are from the settlements, the highest-level of grade that they've been to is probably year 8 or year 6. They actually do nothing at home but rugby league has given them the great opportunity to play the sport and learn to live, see the outside world," Neap said.

"Rugby league is the national sport for the country, everybody loves rugby league there. As soon as the Kangaroos go and play there the crowd goes crazy about that.

"You ask a little four-year-old kid what's our national team, they'll say 'the Kumuls, the Kumuls'. Even the trees or the forest they know the Kumuls.

"Everybody loves rugby league and is very passionate about it. For the girls to be involved in this sport it's like being equal to the Kumuls, it means a lot to us."

The NRL is playing a role with its Voice Against Violence programs, spearheaded by former Canberra Raiders captain Alan Tongue through his ambassadorial role with the league.

For the past few years he's delivered the program to the Kumuls, Orchids and local Port Moresby teams.

Frighteningly, most PNG women aren't even aware they're victims of domestic violence when they suffer abuse, but the Voice Against Violence programs are starting to make a difference.

"It's using our common language of rugby league to help educate and raise awareness around domestic and family violence," Tongue said.

"The last time we were across there, they shared the statistics that domestic violence in Papua New Guinea is the highest in all of the world outside of a conflict zone.

"That's how bad a problem it is. It's the worst that I've ever heard of or ever seen.

"In a country that needs it so desperately, it's a great way to connect with them and have an honest conversation about it because we use the common language of rugby league.

"I actually almost think that the program goes better in Papua New Guinea than it does in Australia because they're so fanatical about the game. But time's going to be our judge, you've got to sow the seeds and it's going to take some time."

A lot of the program is delivered on the rugby league field with a ball in hand.

Earlier this year Tongue used a simple drop-offs touch football drill to illustrate concepts of isolation and vulnerability to members of a local rugby league team.

Later that night back at home, the players replicated the exact drill among fellow villagers. The message is spreading.

The Orchids played their first international game against the Jillaroos in late September, barely a month after the players had come together for the first time.

Less than three months ago they were training on fields either strewn with rubbish and broken bottles, or on hard grounds with little in the way of grass.

Media manager Joanna Lester is in the process of filming a documentary chronicling the players' journey from the settlements across the country to the sport's highest stage.

On Thursday the Orchids opened their World Cup campaign with a gutsy 36-8 loss to England. Pure joy was etched on the PNG faces when they scored their two tries.

They play Canada on Sunday chasing their first international win, potentially another huge step in the journey of PNG's female population.

"Back home the crowd got to watch the first ever Test [against the Jillaroos]," Neap said.

"The crowd got into it. I remember when we scored our first try, if there was a roof the roof would've blown out.

"We're not just here to make up the numbers, we're here to win. We'll give our best for what it takes to get up there and win.

"It'll be just like back in our country all the young girls are looking up for us. We'll be setting the pace for younger ones."