Time to act, stop violence

IT is time for those who perpetrate violence against the vulnerable – old, women and children – to be prosecuted and made to feel the full brunt of the law.
The time of condemning such coward acts through forums, countless media statements, etc, are gone.
Changing beliefs can take a long time.
Everyone has the duty of protecting the vulnerable and must hold accountable those who perpetrate violence against them.
Right now, the perpetrators are doing these things with impunity.
A growing trend, even in predominantly Christian communities, is to throw the first stone at neighbours, friends and relatives, and declare them guilty of crimes that are difficult to prove such as sorcery.
Sorcery allegations often follow the death of someone or of someone falling “mysteriously” ill.
The accused, usually a woman and in some cases a child, is then dragged by a vigilante group before a kangaroo court, judged and sentenced; the act of exorcism usually results in torture and death.
It’s mob justice.
The instigators will already have their story and use fear to appeal to the ignorant, and with emotions running high the victim’s cries are ignored, with members of the public standing by doing nothing.
And this in a country that is Christian, and as Christians these actions challenge us to reflect on who we really are.
This thinking pattern implies that those who are condemning others are standing on a higher moral ground than their victims.
Yes, when we speak ill of others without evidence, we are actually and directly saying that we are better than they are.
Yesterday, The National reported that an elderly woman was tortured to near death in East New Britain in a sorcery accusation-related violence in February.
Police rescued the woman who had been in the hospital until recently where she was kept in an unknown location for her safety.
Last week, Gordon police Family Sexual Violence Unit reported that two women were brought to the police station by St John Ambulance who rescued the two and gave them medical treatment.
Police were informed by the women that their abusers were their relatives who accused them of using sorcery to kill a family member recently.
The relatives held the women captive and tortured them for 24 hours.
Police have sent the women to a safe house while they continued with investigations.
With police already on the two reported cases, we hope the perpetrators are brought to justice.
We understand it is not easy dealing with traditional societies; local communities hold the key to ending sanguma activities, but our leaders should also stand up, speak out and be counted.
Although it had been reported over the years, 2013 had been a significant one in history because of the number of people – men and women – reportedly murdered and tortured within such a very short span of time.
The government is now more focused on using the law to fight back, but the danger is that the result may only be temporary, requiring the government therefore to take a more proactive approach to collaborate with all stakeholders to find a lasting solution.
Unless the people are empowered and transformed, this is an attitude problem constructed and crafted by cultural and traditional practices and beliefs.
Collaboration is the way forward to deal with this issue.
A society that does not protect the vulnerable, the children, the aged, the handicapped and the poor is a failed society.
Action has to start first with prevention.