This major research study into sorcery accusation-related violence in Papua New Guinea found that over the past 20 years, an average of 72 people per year are victims of sorcery accusation-related violence of which an average of 30 people per year have been killed. This is likely to significantly under-represent the true number of incidents, as this number only reflects those reported in the media and in court reports.
The paper describes the characteristics of the incidents, victms and perpetrators and records both the state and non-state responses to the violence.
This short paper details a pilot project using mobile phones to record and report data about accusations of witchcraft at funerals. The pilot is part of a growing body of work that uses mobile phones to collect and record data in environments that are otherwise difficult to reach, and for a wide range of purposes, including health, education, agriculture and development. The project also shares important features with conflict-mapping programs which use mobiles phones to track and map outbreaks of violence.
The issue of sorcery and witchcraft-related accusations and violence in Papua New Guinea is receiving increasing attention domestically and internationally. A growing body of literature is also focusing on the issue, providing non-government organisations, donor agencies, and the Papua New Guinea government with an evidence base for addressing the problem in locally appropriate ways. Little of the literature, however, deliberates upon the perpetrators of these violent attacks.