Shocking video of women being torturedle

PORT MORESBY – A video showing a number of Papua New Guinean women apparently being tortured over suspicion of practising sorcery has appeared on social media.

The video shows the women being threatened with machetes and protesting their innocence.

The incident reportedly took place in the remote Enga province in Papua New Guinea’s highlands.

A missionary in the area, Anton Lutz, says the video was shared by high school students on their mobile phones before appearing on social media.

While police in PNG’s Enga province have been informed of the incident, Lutz says prosecuting those who carry out these attacks can be difficult.

“Because so many people in the community believe that what have done is the right thing, they are hesitant to turn over anyone to the police for an investigation or to cooperate in any way,” he said.

Papua New Guinea’s government is developing a national action plan to protect women accused of sorcery from violence.

But Ruth Kissam, anti-sorcery violence activist and youth coordinator for PNG’s Western Highlands provincial government, says more needs to be done. “It is a national crisis and it calls for aggressive action by the government right now,” she said.

“It’s causing refugees, it’s causing breakage in families, it’s causing kids leaving their schools, it’s causing families breaking up over women running away, even dying.”

Despite law reforms making black magic killing a crime punishable by death, belief in witchcraft remains prevalent in many remote parts of PNG. - ABC