The PNG Tribal Foundation praises the leadership of Governor Allan Bird in introducing amendments to the Papua New Guinea Criminal Code Act targeting and criminalizing the actions of glasmen and glasmeri in their roles involving SARV.
Tribal Foundation thanked the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Based Violence, along with Chair, Charles Abel, for hosting the special sessions over the past 10 months. During the public sessions, the Tribal Foundation offered testimony calling for laws to address the greed-filled actions of glasmen and glasmeris.
Over the past decade, the use of glasmen in order to supposedly identify individuals accused of sorcery has risen dramatically. A large majority of SARV cases involve the use of a glasman or glasmeri to identify the falsely accused sorcerer. In most cases, glasman receive compensation for these “services” motivated by greed.
Moreover, in the experience of non-governmental organizations, such as the Tribal Foundation, who work extensively in this area, none of over 200 individuals they have assisted who were accused of sorcery were actual sorcerers or practiced sorcery.
During Parliament session yesterday, 24 February the amendments were passed unanimously on the third reading and are awaiting certification by the Speaker in order to be finalized as a law.
“This is what great leadership looks like and the Tribal Foundation’s legal team is thankful to have assisted in the drafting of this momentous addition to the Papua New Guinea Criminal Code. As Governor Bird stated, this is the first of what will be many “bold actions”, in the fight against SARV,” stated Tribal Foundation President, Gary stated.