An indigenous safehouse project for survivors of witchcraft accusation in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Abstract

This paper describes a safehouse project for survivors of witchcraft accusations that has been initiated by people of the Hewa-speaking community located in the Papua New Guinea highlands. Belief in witchcraft and the killing of accused witches has a long cultural history among Hewa people, where it was formerly part of intergroup conflict and patterns of dominance and retribution. Contemporary Hewa witch killing often involves the use of torture and the targeting of children and infants, although these have no historical precedent. The safehouse has been established inside the community itself. Locating the safehouse where accusations and killing are taking place is a deliberate strategy to change the belief system that supports the identification and killing of accused witches. This model also ensures that people do not become internally displaced when they flee their accusers. The safehouse is designed to be self-sufficient so that is does not become reliant on aid from external organisations.