OPPOSITION Leader and Member for Chuave has called on the Government to immediately fund and implement the National Action Plan on Sorcery Accusation-Related Violence (SARV), saying stronger political will is needed to end the ongoing abuse and killings linked to sorcery accusations.
Speaking at the launch of the Melanesian Institute’s landmark national survey on SARV in Goroka on Friday, the Opposition Leader commended Brother Martin Tines, the Institute, churches, community-based organisations, non-government organisations and frontline advocates for their decades of work in combating the violence despite limited resources.
The survey, which interviewed 2,000 respondents across all provinces, found that 95 percent believe the Government is not doing enough to address SARV, while 99 percent support government funding for the National Action Plan.
Describing the findings as “damning,” the Opposition Leader said the statistics represented the experiences of women, children, older people and vulnerable rural residents who continue to suffer torture, displacement and murder following accusations of sorcery.
He said poverty, fear and moral decline were contributing factors behind the continued spread of SARV, arguing that communities facing hardship often turn their frustrations against the most vulnerable.
Calling on men across Papua New Guinea to reject mob violence, he said true strength was demonstrated by protecting those who could not defend themselves.
The Opposition Leader urged the Government to publish, fund and fully implement the National Action Plan, proposing a supplementary budget to establish rapid-response police teams in the worst-affected provinces, provide free medical treatment for survivors, expand nationwide awareness campaigns and prohibit the circulation of videos depicting SARV-related violence online.
He said decisive leadership could bring meaningful change, pointing to El Salvador’s reduction in gang violence as an example of how coordinated government action could transform public safety.
The Opposition Leader also encouraged churches, community organisations and advocates to continue their work while urging Papua New Guineans to stand against sorcery-related violence.
He concluded by saying SARV could be eradicated if the nation remained united, intentional and committed to protecting vulnerable people and upholding the rule of law.