Belief in sorcery or witchcraft is deeply entrenched and widely held in different forms across Papua New Guinea, not only in remote and/or rural areas. Violence related to accusations of sorcery or witchcraft is a real problem.
Research conducted in two provinces between January 2016 and October 2017 found that one-third of almost 150 recorded cases of accusations of sorcery or witchcraft resulted in violence, and of these, almost three quarters involved torture of people accused of sorcery or witchcraft. More than one in ten were killed and over one-third were permanently injured.
The Government of Papua New Guinea developed a comprehensive Sorcery and Witchcraft Accusation Related Violence (SARV) National Action Plan in 2015 to address the problem of sorcery accusation-related violence. The National Action Plan has the following core areas: services (through counselling, health sector and child protection); prevention through advocacy and communications; legal protection and prosecution; and research.
The Australian Government is working in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea in all core areas through the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (Pacific Women) and Justice Services and Stability for Development programs.
On 30 October 2018, the Pacific Women program brought together community-based organisations, non-governmental organisations, churches, the PNG National Research Institute and universities based in both Papua New Guinea and Australia to conduct a workshop and a public forum.
The workshop aims to bring together various stakeholders engaging in research work around sorcery accusation related violence to improve the communication of activities by partners to the SARV committee and to ensure that stakeholders are aware of various activities, lessons learnt and key findings emerging from current project work.
On 1 November 2018, a Public Forum will be hosted at the National Museum and Art Gallery from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
The forum will have Human Rights Defenders share their experiences of prevention and mediation strategies that work best in their communities. Oxfam will be sharing its findings on a gender-based violence baseline survey with results on sorcery accusation related violence. The Queensland University of Technology will also share their experiences of using research to support the development of audio-visual materials such as digital stories and their impact in communities. Together, these stakeholders will also launch the Communicating the Law Toolkit, a resource that provides participatory strategies for engagement with community groups. Other stakeholders such as Tribal Foundation will share their experience on extensive advocacy and awareness through their Senisim Pasin Campaign.
The forum will be an opportunity to meet, interact and learn about what is happening to eliminate sorcery accusation related violence in our communities.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact Dr. Jacqueline Kauli, email: [email protected] or Gabriella Marimyas, email: [email protected]