THE Catholic Church and the Melanesian Institute in Goroka have documented various crimes related to sorcery accusation in Papua New Guinea.

One such is Fr Philip Gibbs film Sanguma, Everybody’s Business . This 58 minutes long film reports that every year at least 200 people, mostly women die from accusations related to sorcery.

It also shared stories of some survivors have shared their stories but many live with fear and continue to run from their perpetrators. The survivors tell of the methods used to torture them.

In 2010 Fr Franco Zocca formerly of the Melanesian Institute published Sanguma in Paradise: sorcery, Witchcraft and Christianity in Papua New Guinea in the Catalyst, Number 40, Issue 1. This study was also published in Melanesian Institute’s Point Series No. 33 in 2009. In this issue he highlights parts of Papua New Guinea practicing sorcery.

The media has reported widely on the issues covering almost all corners of PNG where killings are happening.

The Sorcery Act 2013 was repealed and not much has been done to date to help stop these violence.

Speaking from Mendi a human rights defender Janet Nisa said, “this issue cannot wait. Tortures and killings are happening more frequently now and our mothers must be protected.”

It is time to act.

By Rosa Koian