SARV victim: An elderly woman who died of complications later. Photo: Scott Waide
Warning: This article discusses violence against women.
Dr Raymond Kipakapu's first encounter with a survivor of Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV) was extremely harrowing.
The primary patient, an elderly woman was brought to the hospital with severe burns on her legs, arms and other parts of her body.
Her daughter, a woman of about 40, also suffered less severe injuries. Both women had been held and tortured for days before they were rescued.
But it wasn't just the severity of the woman's injuries that that were distressing to the young doctor, who was at the time just a few years fresh out of medical school.
As a child who grew up indoctrinated in culture and traditional protocols, it was difficult to detach himself strong cultural beliefs and focus on treating his patients as man science.
"I have to be honest, I was a bit scared," he said.
The late-night fire-side tales of shapeshifting, organ consuming elderly women, played in his mind as he walked into the room where the women lay.
But Dr Kipakapu was fortunate to be guided by the more experienced team that he led.
"I had to observe how my team reacted to the case," he said.
"With a lot of case management in the past, the team was confident. Without any prejudice, they approached the patients. I just followed my teams lead."
His experience highlights how, not just medical practitioners, but people from many other professions are burdened with the irrational fear of sorcery having come from Papua New Guinea's many cultures.
Dr Raymond Kipakapu Photo: Scott Waide
From Port Moresby to Yampu Health Center
Dr Kipakapu's medical career began in April 2018 at Port Mosby General Hospital, where he spent nearly three years honing his skills in a high-demand urban setting.
The hospital, a crucible for Papua New Guinea's overburdened healthcare system, taught him the fundamentals of emergency care, surgery, and patient management.
But it was his later shift to rural practice-serving in Tinsley, Western Highlands in Baiyer, that reshaped his perspective.
In these remote areas, far from the resources of the capital, he learned to adapt, treating everything from malaria to maternal emergencies with limited tools.
But it was at Yampu Health Center in Enga, that changed his perspective on medical emergencies and patient care.
Dr Raymond Kipakapu at Yampu Health Center, Enga Province. Photo: Scott Waide
Horrific injuries
Since being seconded from the Enga Provincial Health Authority to the Catholic Health Services, Dr Kipakapu has become one of the few doctors in Papua New Guinea who deal specifically with SARV survivors.
"Many of the patients come with first, second, and third degree burns," he said.
"We have seen cases of people who have been tortured for days…two days, three days…people keep them outside, hang them up with wires, and keep torturing them until they get a confession or admission of guilt."
In 2024, he and his team attended to 20 SARV cases in Enga Province alone.
Part of a bigger problem
The cases in Enga are just a tiny indication of a nationwide problem of sorcery accusations that lead to violence.
In the last 10 years, women, men, and children have become victims of the violence.
In many instances, the violence is recorded on mobile phones and posted on social media.
The general ignorance is reflected in the many comments that actually support and encourage the violence.
In 2017, quick action by Lae police resulted in the rescue of a woman in Lae who was about to be tortured.
Her neighbours had accused her of sorcery after his husband died of an unrelated illness.
A few days later, another woman was killed and her body dumped within the same area.
In Enga Province, a multi-year study documented 198 incidents of SARV, highlighting the widespread nature of this problem. Additionally, the impact on children is significant, with numerous cases involving young victims or affected family members.
According to the Papua New Guinea Tribal Foundation, an organisation that has worked to rescue women and children, over 6,000 cases of SARV were recorded across the country between 2016 and 2021.
These statistics illustrate the urgent need for interventions and support to address and mitigate the devastating effects of SARV on individuals and communities.
Over the last three days, frontline workers have been discussing emerging issues that add to the SARV problems in their communities. Photo: Scott Waide
The invisible enemy
Effectively fighting SARV means confronting a complex set of contributing factors.
Cultural beliefs deeply ingrained contribute to a large part to the violence.
For Dr Kipakapu, medical textbooks fall short in when addressing the root causes of SARV.
"In Enga, when you speak, you have to speak from a position of authority," he said.
"You need to have walked the path in order to give credence to your words. I am not a pastor. So, when I speak, I can only do so from a medical perspective."
While the impact of violence is visible, Dr Kipakapu has been working to draw attention to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generational trauma that affects the children of those who suffer from SARV.
In cultures where payback is common, it doesn't usually end with sorcery accusation related violence.
-This article for first published by PNG Post-Courier.
