WORLD DAY AGAINST WITCH HUNTS
This article is authored by The Voice Inc and Dr Miranda Forsyth as part of a series supporting the work of the Kundiawa SARV legal desk and its partners.
The Simbu Gender Based Violence Secretariat including Kundiawa Legal Desk partners
On 10 August 2020 the Catholic Diocese in Mendi was among one of the first communities in the world to celebrate the newly announced World Day Against Witch Hunts. Since then, there has been a lot of developments in the international fight against the issue and many organisations across the world networking on the topic. One of the most significant developments occurred in 2021 when the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a Special Resolution on accusations of Harmful Practices related to Accusations of Witchcraft and Associated Ritual Attacks.
The resolution recognises that sorcery accusation related violence is not just a problem in PNG. In fact, across at least 60 countries in the world today women, children and other vulnerable groups are tortured, killed, abducted, raped and forced to experience degrading treatments as a result of accusations of witchcraft or associated ritual attacks. These abuses can occur in the context of crises, in fragile states, and also amongst vulnerable populations in the global North. In the United Kingdom for example there were 2000 cases in 2023 of child abuse related to accusations of witchcraft.
In 2021 the Pan African Parliament passed Guidelines for its Parliamentarians in addressing the issue, and many countries have passed special laws to tackle the problem, such as PNG’s recent Glasman Law. As in PNG, the strongest champions against these human rights abuses tend to be small and under-resourced community groups, led by dedicated and brave individuals, often acting at considerable risk to their own lives.
Recently some of these organisations took their message to the United Nations Human Rights Council. On 17 July 2024 the Humanists International, the Humanist Association of Nigeria and the Advocacy for Alleged Witches made a joint statement highlighting the persecution faced by those accused of witchcraft in Nigeria.
In the Southern Highlands the effort continues. In January 2024, the Catholic Diocese of Kundiawa, the Kundiawa Hospital, the Highlands Human Rights Defenders Network and The Voice Inc, came together to set up a legal desk for SARV victims in Kundiawa. The legal desk supports the criminal justice system by providing civil law remedies and assisting SARV victims with legal advice. The desk also provides a referral service for organisations & police supporting and rescuing SARV victims in the area.
In many ways, PNG is one of the countries leading in terms of the formal passage of its National Action Plan to address Sorcery Accusation Related Violence, currently undergoing updating and renewal. These formal policies now need to be matched by political willpower, resourcing and capacity building for the health, justice and educational sectors to properly implement.
For more information on the legal desk or if you need legal advice for a SARV victim in Kundiawa contact here (popur@thevoicepng.org or call 7245 1083).