Mr. Gari Baki, OBE, DPS, O.St.J
Police Commissioner
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary
Dear Commissioner Baki,
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch write concerning recent reports of sorcery-related killings of women in the highlands provinces of Papua New Guinea. We urge the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary to thoroughly investigate this and similar cases and charge those responsible, and to make better efforts to prevent such crimes in the future.
According to news reports, a woman was stripped naked, gagged, and burned alive by a group of men at Kerebug Dump in Mount Hagen on January 6, 2009. Provincial police commanders in two highlands provinces, Eastern Highlands and Chimbu, have also told journalists that there were more than 50 sorcery-related killings in their provinces in 2008. These killings are part of a larger problem of violence against women and girls that, according to our research and that of others, is pervasive and rarely punished. In particular, we have found that police often ignore complaints or demand money or sex from victims.
We note with appreciation your strong statements on violence against women in the last two years. In particular we note your promise in November 2008 to do everything in your power to reduce or end domestic and sexual violence, and to use police systems and procedures to end violence against women by successfully investigating, prosecuting, and punishing offenders. We believe this tragic case offers an opportunity for the Constabulary to demonstrate this commitment.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International also call on the Constabulary to act in similar cases in which responsible persons have not been brought to justice, as impunity for violence against women is a longstanding problem. In November 2005 Anna Benny, a women's rights activist, was allegedly shot and killed after she went to the assistance of her sister-in-law who was being held in a home on suspicion of practicing sorcery. The police in Goroka refused to take any action to investigate her death, claiming they had received no complaint from the family. Former provincial police commander Leo Kabilo has been charged in late 2007 with the rape of a woman at the police station; however his case is yet to be brought to trial while he is at liberty on bail. Police failed to investigate and prosecute the rapes and beatings of women by police officers during the raid on the 3-Mile Guesthouse in 2004 despite extensive evidence from eyewitnesses collected by government representatives and others (see Human Rights Watch, "Making Their Own Rules," appendix 1)."
We urge you to issue a directive to all members of the constabulary that the failure to respond to or investigate allegations of violence against women and girls, regardless of the alleged motivation or perpetrator, will be considered a serious disciplinary offense and to take disciplinary action accordingly.
We encourage the Constabulary to conduct public awareness campaigns to discourage vigilante killings, to address misconceptions that that HIV is linked to sorcery, and to educate members of the public about lawful ways complaints can be raised with the relevant authorities. Finally we welcome the pilot project to establish victims' desks in three stations in Port Moresby, and hope that this initiative will encourage more efforts to improve access for victims of violence to medical, legal, counselling, and other support services.
Thank you for your attention to our concerns, and we look forward to receiving a response at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Zama Coursen-Neff
Deputy Director
Children's Rights Division
Human Rights Watch
Donna Guest
Deputy Programme Director
Asia Pacific Programme
Amnesty International
cc. Hon. Sani Rambe
Minister for Internal Security
