WUNRN
West
Papua
(formerly West Irian Jaya or Irian Jaya Barat) with population
around 800,000, is the least populous province
of Indonesia on the western end
of the island of New Guinea.
____________________________________________________________
INDONESIA:
Nine Women Labeled as Witches Are Subjected to Ill Treatment in West Papua |
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Urgent Appeals Programme 31
October 2008 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the OYO Papua Foundation that nine women have been subjected to ill-treatment after being labeled as 'Suranggi' (witches) by local religious leaders in Seya village, West Papua. They were segregated from their family members and forced to live rough in the jungle where there are no facilities for their protection. They are now suffering from malnutrition. CASE DETAILS: According to information received, on June 14, 2008 nine women were subjected to a sacred ceremony by local religious people who accused them of being witches in Seya village, sub- district of Mare, West Papua, Indonesia. During the ceremony, they were given poisoned water to drink which gave them stomach pains which was interpreted as proof that they were in fact witches. After the traditional ritual, all of them were labeled as 'sinful women' or 'devil women', and were then brought out to an isolated location in the surroundings of Seya village. They were forcibly segregated from their husbands and children, and forced to reside in the jungle where they lacked basic facilities for day-to-day living. Many of the women have reportedly suffered from malnutrition and are in urgent need of help. The cases that have been reported are as follows; 1: Salomina Tahoba, 56
years old 2: Paulina Bame, 55
years old 3: Agustina Semunya 4: Kristina Nauw 5: Kamatan Nauw, 60
years old 6: Oktovina Nauw 7: Aplonya Bame 8 and 9: Katarina Baru and Maksima Taa ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The people who refer to themselves as Mare People speak Mare and come from the Northern part of the South Sorong Regencies. The Mare sub-district has a population of around 700 people, speaking several dialects of the Mare language. Many of them retain traditional beliefs, including the belief in witches, devil women and black magic. Usually, when misfortune strikes in the guise of disease or death, women are usually targeted as responsible for this. They are in effect labeled witches by local religious leaders through their traditional rituals. Older women with few family members are the ones who are most frequently accused of being witches. When a woman is believed to be a witch she is alleged to have plotted against someone whose soul she is going to steal and whose entrails she is going to eat at night. Witches are seen as Satan's most dangerous associates, and are often condemned in sermons by local religious leaders. It is reported that opening the abdomens and examining the internal organs of the accused is a method used to confirm the status of witch. Another example is making the alleged witch drink water infused with alcohol or poison and then invoking the woman's insobriety or vomiting as a proof that she is in fact a witch. Accused women endure severe physical and mental violence. Having established, through one of these methods, that the woman in question is a witch, she is then punished to relieve the rest of society from these much feared 'suanggis'. It is reported that deportation from the community, cuttings and homicide had been used as punishments. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Mare people reside in the villages of Seya, Suswa, Seni, Sire and Kuber which are located in the lush green range of the Karst hills of the Northern part of the South Sorong Regency. It is a remote area in West Papua province. They have remained unyielding in keeping to their traditions. Once a disease breaks out in the community and because they lack knowledge of the action of bacteria and viruses, the practice of 'witch hunting' is used to eradicate it. |
AHRC Suggested Actions: http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2008/3053
About
AHRC:
The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation
monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group
was founded in 1984.
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