Repatriation saves lives

 OXFAM says it has saved two lives a week on average since it began repatriation of victims in Oct last year as part of its project to address violence relating to sorcery killing.

Oxfam associate country director Philippe Allen said it costs on average K600 to rescue and repatriate a victim of violence to a safe location and a further K750 for the victims of violence to start a new life.

Oxfam and its partner organisations are piloting a project to address violence relating to sorcery killing as sorcery-related killing is seen as a challenging form of violence, Allen said.

They were carrying out research to find the best way to address violence related to sorcery to provide hope for victims whose lives were in danger.

He said for the past nine months, Oxfam and its partners had been evacuating people from the highlands who faced life threatening danger.

“Many of these cases involve women and children who have suffered years of sexual abuse and other forms of physical violence,” he said. 

“For these people, the only hope of new life is to return to their home province or find refuge in a safe place. 

The risks are extreme for people accused of sorcery. In these cases, if the people accused are not evacuated immediately, they could be murdered within days.” 

Allen said the Oxfam research had found that despite little funding from the Government, and inspiring and courageous network of activities across PNG was working to rescue, repatriate and reintegrate the innocent victims of PNG’s violence.

The pilot repatriation project is funded by the Australian government and forms part of Oxfam’s nationwide “Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) Programme”.