Attack affirms need for voice against violence

By LULU MARK and MIRIAM ZARRIGA
THE sorcery accusation related violence (SARV) against a woman and her daughter who were tortured to near death after her community health worker husband died from the Covid-19) last week reveals the dire need for people to speak out against sorcery.
Lutheran missionary’s Anton Lutz said: “It is hard to believe that Papua New Guineans still believe these money-faced con-artist glasman and then even go so far as to torture and murder their own family members based on these nonsense beliefs.
“They choose not to accept Christian teachings of love and do not want to respect laws and they are saying sorcery is real, so let us torture these people, sadly and tragically, the community allows them to do this.
“With the Covoid-19)spike and threat to public health, SARV is expected to complicate or worsen whenever a death by disease happen.”
On March 30, police rescued a 45-year-old woman and her 19-year-old daughter who were accused of practising sorcery and tortured for several days in captivity after her husband died of Covid-19.
Both mother and daughter, who also tested positive for Covid-19, had broken arms, burn marks, cuts on their arms, heads and bodies when police found them in a house in a settlement in Eastern Highlands’ Goroka.
Lutz said: “But it all begins with caring enough to speak out. If you care about the victims of SARV and what this violence does to human beings, their families, their communities, the reputation of the nation, the fabric of our society, then you need to be speaking out to your friends, family and leaders too. Together we will end SARV.”
Meanwhile, those responsible for the torture have to be arrested.
“Police are still investigating and we will continue until the perpetrators are arrested and brought to face justice. A taskforce was formed to pursue the case,” Eastern Highlands commander Supt Michael Welly said.