Prevention
How do we prevent this violence before it starts?
Understanding sanguma stories, challenging false accusations, and raising the next generation differently.
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If something is happening right now
An accusation has been made, or someone is in danger. Here is what to do.
🚔 Step 1
Report Accusations to the Police
Making a sanguma accusation is against the law in Papua New Guinea. You can report it to the police before any violence happens.
Accusation itself is a crime
Under PNG law, accusing someone of sorcery in a way that leads to harm is a criminal offence. You do not have to wait for violence to happen. You can report the accusation now.
Call 7150 8000
The helpline will advise you on what to do and connect you with Femili PNG or local support. You do not need all the facts, call and explain what you know.
Go to the police station
Ask for the Family and Sexual Violence Unit (FSVU). Tell them an accusation has been made and give the name of the accused person. Police can act before violence happens.
Know the Law. Follow the Law.
What the Criminal Code says, what the Glasman Act changed, and what courts have decided. Plain language.
The Law →
🤝 Step 2
Stand Together Against Violence
When a crowd forms against an accused person, what happens next depends on what the people nearby do. One clear voice can change everything.
Speak up
When you hear an accusation being made, say something, calmly and clearly. "This person is sick and needs medical help." One voice can change what happens next. Don't wait for someone else to speak first.
Leaders: lead
Pastors, priests, elders, and teachers have a platform and a responsibility. Preach against SARV. Refuse to bless or legitimise an accusation. Walk with vulnerable community members when they are at risk.
Document what you see
If you witness an accusation being made, write down what happened: who said what, when, and who was there. This can help police and case managers act quickly.
The most important moment is the 24 to 48 hours after an accusation is first made. A community that steps in early (calling for calm, asking for a medical investigation, and staying with the accused) can almost always prevent violence.
🛡️ Step 3
Protect Anyone Who Is in Danger
If someone has been accused and is at risk, act quickly. The accused person needs a safe place and someone to stay with them.
Stay with the accused
Do not let the accused person face the crowd alone. Physically being present with someone often prevents the worst from happening. Accompany them to the police station or to Femili PNG.
Take them somewhere safe
If you can, take the accused person to a safe house, a church, or a relative's home in another area. Call Femili PNG for advice on where to go.
Call Femili PNG
Femili PNG specialises in SARV cases. They can help find safe accommodation, contact police, and support the accused through the process.
Lae: 7091 4027 · POM: 7916 9063 · Goroka: 7217 9445
Lae: 7091 4027 · POM: 7916 9063 · Goroka: 7217 9445
Meri Seif Line (NCD)
Safe transport for women at risk in Port Moresby.
NCD: 7222 1234
NCD: 7222 1234
🏥 Step 4
Get Help for Anyone Who Has Been Hurt
If someone has been attacked, get them to a hospital or health centre as soon as possible. Medical care comes first.
Go to the Family Support Centre
Take the injured person to the nearest Family Support Centre (FSC) at a major hospital. FSC staff are trained to help survivors of violence. FSCs are at POM General, Goroka Base Hospital, Angau (Lae), and Hela Provincial Hospital.
Call 7150 8000
The helpline can connect you with case managers and support services near you. They can help with transport, accommodation, and follow-up care.
Report to the police
Violence against a person accused of sorcery is a crime. Report it to the police, even if the violence happened some time ago. PNG courts have convicted people for SARV-related killings and handed down long prison sentences.
If someone is in immediate danger, call police now. Lae: 7090 3300 · POM: 324 4331 · Goroka: 532 1222
If you want to stand with someone
What does a person need?
Phone numbers and police reports matter. But a person who has been accused or hurt also needs their community. Work through these questions, one at a time.
Are they safe?
Don't leave them alone. Physical presence is the most powerful protection there is. You don't need to say anything clever, just stay with them. Walk with them. Sit with them. A person accompanied by others is far less likely to be harmed.
Do they need medical care?
If they have been hurt, get them to hospital, but go with them. They may be too frightened to go alone. Family Support Centres (FSCs) at major hospitals are staffed by people trained for this. You do not need money. Ask for the social worker when you arrive.
FSCs at: POM General · Goroka Base · Angau (Lae) · Hela Provincial
FSCs at: POM General · Goroka Base · Angau (Lae) · Hela Provincial
Do they have food, water, or clothes?
A person who has fled their home may have left with nothing. Bring food. Bring water. If they need clothes, bring those too. This is not just practical, it is a message that cannot be misunderstood: your community has not abandoned you. Do not underestimate how much this matters.
Do they have somewhere safe to sleep?
If they can't go home, open yours. Or take them to a church, a pastor's home, a relative in another area. If you cannot provide it yourself, call Femili PNG, they can arrange safe accommodation.
Femili PNG: Lae 7091 4027 · POM 7916 9063 · Goroka 7217 9445
Femili PNG: Lae 7091 4027 · POM 7916 9063 · Goroka 7217 9445
Do they need someone to listen?
Don't try to fix everything. Sit with them. Let them speak. Don't tell them what to feel or what to do next, not yet. People who have survived SARV consistently say that being believed, and not being left alone, was the most important thing anyone did for them.
Do they need someone to protect them?
They have rights and they can report. Go to the police with them, they should not do this alone, and they don't have to. Femili PNG can also provide a case manager who will walk through the whole process alongside them.
Call 7150 8000 to arrange support from a case manager
Call 7150 8000 to arrange support from a case manager
This follows the "What does a person need?" framework from the Community Curriculum, used with communities across the PNG Highlands to help people understand that responding to SARV is not just about calling police. It is about each person asking: will I be the one who stays?
Download the Community Curriculum →
Ask a Question or Request Resources
Use this form to ask about the legal situation, request materials for your community or school, or let us know about a situation in your area.