|
|
Ethical Technology
I am writing to urge the international community to come to the aid
of the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea as it grapples with the menace
of witchcraft or sorcery related violence. Witch persecution and
killing has been going on in the country for too long and we cannot
allow it to continue.
We need to take action now!
We need to take action now!
 |
| Leo Igwe was the Western and Southern African representative to IHEU, the International Humanist and Ethical Union. He has bravely worked to end a variety of human rights violations, including anti-gay hate, sorcery, witchcraft, ritual killing, human sacrifice, “untouchability”, caste discrimination, “child witch” superstition, and anti-blasphemy laws. He is presently enrolled in a three year research programme on “Witchcraft accusations in Africa” at the University of Bayreuth, in Germany. |
The recent lynching of a 20-year old woman, Leniata Kepari for
sorcery has revealed the urgency and complexity of the situation. It
underscores the imperative a pro-active approach. Even as the world is
still trying to comprehend the reason for this savage act, the police in
Papua New Guinea has reportedly saved two other women from being
lynched. According to the report, the ‘two elderly women were tied to
poles and people were preparing to set them alight over the death of an
eight-year-old girl’. The girl’s relatives believed the women killed
their child through sorcery and magic. A local witch doctor called a
‘glassman’ who claimed to have supernatural powers had identified the
women as responsible for the child’s death.
But the police said the girl was gang-raped and killed by two people who were part of a lynch mob.
The
Prime Minister has deplored the widespread killings associated with
sorcery. Violence against women, he noted, was becoming too common in
certain parts of the country. The government is asking people who are
not sure of the cause of death of their family members to take the body
to a doctor for an autopsy. In Papua New Guinea, most people do not
accept natural causes of death and diseases. People attribute their
misfortune to sorcery or witchcraft. In July, police arrested 29 members
of a witch hunting cult who allegedly murdered and cannibalized their
victims, believing they were sorcerers.
But a local police chief has noted the problem of evidence- that
the evidence for magically causing a death or illness is simply not
there. "What evidence do they have to produce to court for
sorcery-related killing and torturing?" He queried. ‘It is just a
belief’. Mere belief indeed. Unfortunately, this is a realization which
few people in the country entertain and can openly express. Most people
in Papua New Guinea think witchcraft is more than a belief. That
witchcraft is ‘real’. Hence the problem of witch burning continues.
The civilized world needs to help Papua New Guinea to stop this
wave of violence. Countries and international institutions should remain
indifferent in the name of respecting people’s culture, religion or
tradition. Witch burning is not a cultural or religious practice that
should be respected. Witch persecution is a violent custom that should
be opposed, condemned and abandoned.
And we must ‘fight’ now to end it in Papua Guinea and in other countries in Asia and Africa.
Attributing the cause of death or disease to sorcery or witchcraft
is not a pattern of thinking that should go unchallenged. Witchcraft
accusation is often informed by a misconception and misdiagnosis of
social conditions. Those who peddle such witch beliefs should be
challenged and compelled to provide evidence. Those who exploit poor
ignorant folks in the name of witchcraft should be exposed. Local
authorities that handle witchcraft related cases should be supported
and assisted so that they can to make informed decisions. Those who
accuse people of witchcraft and then attack or kill them should be made
to answer for their crimes. The government of Papua New Guinea should
ensure the rule of law, not that of a lynch mob, and strive to protect
the rights of women and others who are often victims of witch
persecution and killing.
The international community should muster the will and assist Papua
New Guinea to resolve the issue of witch hunting. Tackling the problem
of witch craze and hysteria in the country needs bold and courageous
initiatives. The UN should mainstream efforts to combat witch
persecution in its activities including by including programs to protect
and empower women, children, elderly persons and people living with
disabilities.
Through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the
UN should use international human rights mechanisms to pressure the
government of Papua New Guinea to protect the rights of women in the
country and bring an end to this violence. UNESCO should support
programs to improve the quality of education. Such programs should
include inculcating the values of peace, scientific and critical
thinking. Witch hunting is an act of war against vulnerable members of
the population. Witchcraft violence starts in the mind. And so,
eradicating it requires programs that help reorient the minds of the
people.
The World Health Organisation should put in place basic health
education programs on the causes of death and diseases. People should be
told that malaria is caused by parasites, not witchcraft(puripuri). And
that there is no evidence that somebody can cause death or disease
through sorcery. People should be encouraged to seek evidence-based
medical care and counselling from trained doctors in clinics and
hospitals, not ‘magical healing’ and ‘supernatural solutions’ from
witchdoctors when they are sick.
UN Women should come up with initatives to empower women in the
country and reduce their vulnerability to accusations and attacks. The
UN Initiative on Ageing should launch programs to protect aging
population from witchcraft suspicion and accusation. Very often,
witchcraft in rural communities has a female or aging face. Through the
UNDP, the UN can respond to the development challenges in the Papua New
Guinea. Witch craze is often a symptom of underdevelopment or
development failure. Most cases of accusation take place in rural areas
where social infrastructure is lacking or is inadequate.
Australia,
Britain, the US and other countries with development aid programs in
Papua New Guinea should get involved in addressing the problem too. They
should not use the narrative of colonialism as an excuse, or as a
reason to turn a blind eye on this tragic situation. Helping a country
to combat a harmful traditional practice is not colonialism but
international relations at its best.
Also, religious organisations need to join efforts in combating
witch hunts. Obviously faith groups face theological and creedal
challenges in tackling the issue of witchcraft. Still they should -as
they did in Europe- act to promote socio-cultural and religious
reformation, and achieve an Enlightenment in Papua New Guinea. They
should work and campaign to end this dark age phenomenon in the
country.
The world can help and should help now. Let’s act to end sorcery or witchcraft related violence.
Together we can work to stop witch hunting in Papua New Guinea, in Asia, in Africa and around the globe.
Leo Igwe, as a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union,
has bravely worked for human rights in West Africa. He is presently
enrolled in a three year research programme on “Witchcraft accusations
in Africa” at the University of Bayreuth, in Germany.
No comments:
Post a Comment