Violence, Papua New Guinea

This week there was a woman who was tortured and burned to death in Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, her crime, witchcraft. Kepari Leniata was 20 years old when she was, “stripped, tortured, doused in gasoline, and then set on fire.” This came after she had been accused of sorcery by a family whose 6 year old had died. In Papua New Guinea there are laws on the books that have not been reevaluated since 1971, these laws “criminalize” anyone accused of sorcery or witchcraft. Rashida Manjoo a UN investigator looking into the witchcraft and sorcery in New Guinea, stated that “Any misfortune or death within the community can be used as an excuse to accuse such a person of being a sorcerer.” This issue is one that stretches beyond sex but it seems to affect women more than men. There seems to be many more cases of women who are accused of sorcery and witchcraft. This includes many women who live alone, like widows or those who many not have any protection, which are accused of these crimes in order to strip them of their “land and property.” These accusations do not only fall on women but men as well, there were 3 women and 2 men held for 20 days, after they had been accused of committing a murder by using sorcery. These people were eventually killed but not after being tortured.  These acts against the individual accused of sorcery or witchcraft are carried out in the heat of the moment and no one tends to try and interfere to aid the accused individual. In the case of Kepari Leniata there was no real attempt to help her, in the article it said that the crowd was blocking and keeping away the police and fire men attempting to get to the scene and aid her. These actions show that many are still following the tradition of “wantok” or solidarity, and that many would not talk to the police. The reason that this article struck me as dealing with women’s rights is that there is no thought to allowing a person, man or women, the time to defend themselves. If one is accused than that means one is guilty no matter the circumstances.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/world/asia/un-calls-on-papua-new-guinea-to-curb-violence-after-burning-death-of-woman.html

Lynne E. Davis
8 February 2013
16:53