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in papa new guinea a growing wave of witch hunts is sweeping across the country women accused of causing sickness and deaths by sorcery are being brutally tortured and executed with authorities struggling to contain the violence the deaths of innocent women are going on punished i'm steve char on this edition of one of one yes we investigate the dark and violent side up in new guinea ancient practice. of. the pacific island nation. is home to some of the world's most ancient traditions and mysterious retract the belief in black magic that has cost him a shadow over this country of seven million pork i want them gone and i should be

a. muslim sometimes i know on the bus you wipe of me. the torture and killing of suspected sorceress is growing innocent people's objections just for find which are they up to the woman and when the tortured them and good people that they give it to the woman is clearly a new man as a pop when you can use police force struggles to contain the spread of witch hunts it is being criticized for committing its own with a human rights in the sense that both i'm just going to blow up but they really are not watching. to investigate the violent world of sorcery killings or i'm traveling to the robert highlands region in the heart of country. province as one of the highest numbers of witch hunts and i've come to. by.

memory of the brutal attack. she was set upon by five teenagers shooting was accused of causing the death of her son through witchcraft. should throw their name or big bad name in there. i mean dad now same time i'm in day well mike wallace governor only all of that is unique or not by. little i should live in my new day at. this i want to show my long and i mean they are always and all of them biting. tonight abandoned house she was tortured by the server allows. me to. bite the minute i. know i demand make. or go to skin blue now both curb this tribe murder to come wish i was like the b.s.a.

not before the one that made new year and one dead member who could nimbler me know me and based on knowing more before. denise showed me the scar. open my left wrist where. my. denise spent more than a year in hospital but with nowhere else to go she returned to the community that attacked. me most was there were never a bathroom with over move close the border first. we start there me thinking of overheard some birthday what if we could remember everybody. in many parts of the

highlands medical explanations for sickness and death are rejected most believe witchcraft to be the cause of physical illness by women subjected to rich chance by groups of young men and the entire village often gathers and spectators to the abuse. in chambers main town of young on suspicion of sorcery so widespread that merely discussing witchcraft could lead to a time. for survivors the only support comes from human rights volunteers like monica pallas monica travels throughout the highlands finding survivors of witch hunts and moving them out of danger she became a volunteer after meeting dinny karl the first time i went to help out like i was just traumatized. chills were untrue like a shocking thing in my life and i was thinking like this is treated in your memory i don't think any human being destroyed a woman. there is

a very risky doing this work monica says the nature of her work means she too often becomes the target of violence welcome at the gate the people think like you are doing this work because you are us also right you will sell this way you are trying to defend. your card so it's very risky but if you don't do it those got to do it that's the thing. monica has brought me to the general hospital where she's checking on the welfare of baby orphaned by recent which aren't. for three months old i'm going to sit by my blame to them working on what got us into pop up and then i get them on my blog and saw the full flavor. of. the child's mother maher soiree was tortured into mind following the death of her husband. the man's family refused to accept that he died of natural causes and

blamed morrow for causing his death through sorcery because if there is a man it's death in the community authentic a bit here's the woman that wife to be the sole sarette. apple n.d. was mars friend and neighbor and told me she heard a woman scream soon after news of the husband's death reached the village. along. the whole. planet i don't know why don't you know. when. you know you know. this long name. mars remains were found in a shallow grave less than fifty meters from head bill each she had been burned and suffered deep wounds from machetes and axis in her village the house she was tortured in has been abandoned out of fear of the spirits.

apple is now caring for maurice baby but we have come to me enough for you. yet it was a lot of been given up on you being. most of the village witnessed the attack but refused to speak to police out of fear that they too will be targeted. or also not a. song you know not. a lot not just like the news of. travels throughout the highlands by he harrowing tales of atrocities in almost every. train to speak openly of killing which is. more. this is marcus kearney i'm here to taking part in a rethinking village woman accused of sorcery. we were.

i'm not let's see we've got the douglas i want to. marcus in a group of men soon identified a suspect who they tortured for hours. on this but i just think yeah. he's the day and i am killing one and a one shot them gives thread love it limb and. stick. them given in. more than a day. and we will get most of it like i'm walking to the injured are. not looking. mocking since he feels protected by the remoteness of the village and is not afraid of being caught.

live. look i mean listen now we're not something the government doesn't know we don't and that got us good or said that only that only that there was so much muglia now a family doing and look so awesome my lovely lovely even the not. marcus told me he knew me joins in the killing of accused which is the fear of sorcery power is spreading. were ever i go in the country nearly every person i meet believes in witchcraft sorcery is part of the million isn't believe it is or believe it did a person process a creature you know within him or here and did this a potential to cause sickness or death of another person. jackie rom a is a leading researcher of sorcery beliefs and has published extensively on which

killings it is important for people who wait to cater to explain that sickness and death are caused by. bacteria or virus you know this kind of things we have to change the believe system of the people to change the mindset. that. chance typically begin during papa new guinea's traditional funeral service known as the house. i was crying so how some morning you know when someone dies those who are suspect or processing power are brought to that central place. and they try to you know into a gate you know they try to make them tell whether they are responsible for the c.e.o. for the death or not. many that survived the attacks and later abandoned by their families shunned an isolated

from the rest of the village. but in some cases families show immense bravery in defending their loved ones from witch hunts. mary peter was attacked by seven men armed with machetes during a funeral service for a baby leave on their blouse sort of voice on stepmom house much. bloody on one made it to us that we don't know what one percent english live here or boy she will get i'm not your definition woman someone who beginning near you kagan pickaninny baby named. mary's husband peter carnley dragged her to safety as she was being attacked but not before the witch hunt had inflicted serious injuries. come over to leave well that's less skinny come out number two and cut the meme clue you in that's a let's give it a good movie moves now way bringuier. after the attack peter and his wife were held

at gunpoint before scaping into the mountains to me what a little a program. we got in them we got it. pretty fine without me but i went there one day and i mean i remember about you know what their motive for going to the old free. but of the more numbered flemmi feeling to know with one of. them told me. you would know one thing but won't you want to. give me back i. use the people one of said to me first i want their daughter the misfortune to go through them what i put on but that one thing you took. several weeks after i first met human rights defend them on a compound as i travel to find when i arrived a neighbor shows me an empty house and monica's few possessions are the stolen or

destroyed from the money. i'm told a group of young men armed with guns and machetes broke in during the night. i find monica several hours away she says and early warning allowed her to escape someone told me like i couldn't so i must not stay in the house so i moved but in the morning when i came back like belles was broken in. monaco was targeted for preventing the torture of a nine year old girl accused of sorcery. the we chant began after a baby drowned in a nearby river they left the baby on the side of the riverbank with the other kids they were playing. but it turned around and realized that the baby was not the real they left said being with them could drown them but carried over by their real already. and often without family protection the nine year old girl was immediately seen bear. as

a sorcerer and blamed for the death they locked in the house and they started questioning as to how she killed the baby when i asked this if you did not. go to cuba you saw. the baby but they. saw i knew they would be a lot of danger. for. what i've been doing but i really felt that they should really help. now a victim herself monica tells me she's thinking of stopping her work helping others . getting really tired and i come back i feel like i'd like there are times that i feel like i just quit what i'm doing and just you know sit back and. think about myself and now what i should do this because when i look and think about it it's like this little support security guarantee that.

most of the victims of sorcery attacks women and sometimes men pursued norbert soon and his mother angelo. and. their bodies were thrown into a communal toilet pit are finally common to some serial killings. police told me they could not find the men responsible but as i discovered one of them wanted for questioning still lives at the crime scene ari my mother denies having any involvement but gives a detailed account of the witch hunt only got some going to be suspect. something so sorry so comment up or. suspect most trouble or. just me. still. mantle if they don't let him into court we can take them to muslim.

lebanon certainly the attackers then turned to the mother of the murdered man. i'm coming. i'm going to i'm going to but it's not i'm just was an important. sampled only. a period of futile violence followed in retribution for the killings entire villages would back down and people were forced from their homes but there were no regrets for the witch hunt. you all of them bear not know what will tell all and. you will want to suspect them of them then we got some of the modern game and we got to kind of a two level totally let him down and tell us another come up here. and make some balance in. the brother of the victim most assume told me he was angry the killings remained free and said he was preparing to take the law

into his hands alone government only show you think you know me monday show me thinking of buying a new mood when we could be induced an election like all else and thought that you learn about me but be sure we do you know we can wait mr one thing will remove all this low. blow we will be fleeting well money killing little bit. when you don't look even humans will tend to look. to global reading. them to last so in the old german coming the muslim did over stop for a later time. most victims of sorcery attacks can expect a little help from the law from a sin papa new guinea are understaffed and under-resourced corruption is rife and witchcraft has such an entrenched following in this country that police often lack

the will and motivation to investigate. michael welch is the senior commander of the police station as a local man with strong beliefs he says witch hunts and necessary to protect people from sorcery there is a social unit to service and there was some issue with someone who died. the police could note that we're seeing. them several times so. commander welsh dismisses the global condemnation of pop when you get the charts and says outside viewers should not be imposed on the country. we would only do you see the good. the rights of people who want to come to. the socialist started early in life and if we. are not to no one at all we have no.

human rights abuse anyone. can get us to hurt us. then why. use. the l exactly to get rid of us. that. we describe her including. many survivors don't include attacks because they say police will never investigate but others refuse to give up several months after he rescued his wife mary from attack i find he to cali outside the police station he's identified. one of the suspects to police simone you stop a bus going to the not of the south african what on earth are not make up talking with police in this for twenty or thirty nudo you start up you know you watch but my. pater is angry the police have not investigated the witch hunt that nearly

killed his wife. for. not thinking one day can continue in the just him a lot more like money. but every number. to turn into a risk the men he dispense seven hours detailing the case to police. eventually officers make. this new law. what is money gets you leverage that what you start doesn't have the only suspect or something my. legal. police made the arrest but investigations in the charts are extremely rare. but

with growing international outrage to some sort of killings police and slowly being pressured to take action. francis is a detective with the homicide squad and says police often find it difficult to investigate which chance it will work and this will probably. leave because it will. buy them some relief. after reports which chanted north of the province offices agree need to join the search for the perpetrators. killing them globally. you mustn't blame. going to last and sometimes. police often list relatives of the victims and local villages to help catch the suspect. after travelling with the boys from the same palace one of the suspects spotted on the side of the road.

police in the villages attempt to rescue. miss out on him. but on him and want to go out and go police. although one man gets away the second suspect is captured and taken into custody and one of the recruits were friends personal song goes right through to the. hospital that we've been able to move on or want to just. for their good. i'm going to take you. down. one home down from what they.

know who they. are and a. new many little you know no good. news on the heels of that no one but suspect the government. told the prime suspect. talking to us to me i don't want other people because they. were my friend a member somebody and they should let me push no you remember me one bit. let me put this up was all good and we're going to milk it i'm just so i'm going to remember that but there really is no was. not a good you know you're not going to look at me a little like this the more you look you know. the police are also involved in causing a lot of abuses in human rights when you look at the police brutality when the perpetrators brought this you will see them start punching them and to me it's like

they don't know enough about the human rights so this should be a lot of training and they should have patience in them. not undeterred by threats to her life monica continues to help victims of witch hunts and he's urging the national government to stand sparing human rights disaster the government of pop wanted me look seriously into this cases and they should work with human rights defenders on the ground the community leaders the police everyone has to get involved because the violence is really getting out of them and it's really increasing. in one word that the government. the people the leaders everyone is still work together. monica is one of voices brave enough to speak out against the brutality chants the few listening and fear of

sorcery is growing attacks against the us and spreading across papua new guinea and becoming more brazen. and is the number. continues to rise the whole group seems to be killing us i have only just begun. they're the children of jailed chinese criminals with nowhere else to go one beijing shelter is giving them a home when he speaks the children growing up with their parents behind bars at this time on al-jazeera. this is a really fabulous news from one of the best i've ever worked in there is a unique sense of bonding where everybody teams in but something i feel every time i get on the chair every time i interview someone we're often working round the clock to make sure that we bring events as i currently as possible to the viewer

that's what people expect of us and that's what i think we really do well. i am doing this for the benefit of people. so they see the importance of the outcry. witness documentaries that open your eyes. at this time on al-jazeera. there's a problem and the headlines on al-jazeera weisel says it was behind attack on a military academy and of god a found the capital kabul two soldiers died and ten

were wounded near the marshall for hate national defense university for attackers were killed and one's been over.