ABSTRACT
Papua New Guinea is a land of great beauty, intricate and strong cultures and customs, and resilient people who have been deeply connected to the land on which they are born. It is also undergoing rapid modernisation (the benefits of which are felt by a small minority of the population, in part as a result of endemic corruption within circles of power); increasing inequity and inequality; lack of an effective rule of law; the weakening of traditional social structures; and a deep-seated belief in sorcery. In this case study, the complex context of Papua New Guinea is explored before the author examines the way in which both understandings of violence arising from accusations of sorcery, and the international development response to this, became stuck in the ‘violence against women’ box. This occurred despite available evidence that demonstrated such violence was also enacted against men and despite long-standing arguments that the violence was symptomatic of growing inequality and inequity in the name of economic development.
