Mapping Risk, Protecting Lives: Share Work NGO , Santos Foundation and the Catholic Church Respond to SARV.

December 2nd , Port Moresby: Sorcery accusation–related violence (SARV) continues to threaten lives in many parts of Papua New Guinea. In remote communities such as Kutubu, fear, sudden deaths, and misinformation can quickly escalate into violent attacks.

A recent social-mapping exercise and validation workshop by Share Work led by Ms.

Sarah Garap and her team Doreen Ale and Paul Hans made possible through the

support of the SANTOS Foundation is helping communities strengthen safety, improve

response systems, and deepen collaboration with the local communities in the Kutubu

LLG area.

The purpose of the Workshop is to seek to understand further the challenges and gaps

all stakeholders and interested human rights defenders encounter while working on

SARV in different fields of work as advocator’s, policy decision makers, programme

implementers, or human rights defenders.

The SARV Data Validation Workshop held today at the Catholic Bishops Conference of

Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands conference room brought together a diverse

group of participants including representatives from United Nations Population Fund,

Department of Justice & Attorney General, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary,

local NGOs, government agencies, community leaders, and church partners to ensure

shared understanding and collective action.

The objectives were to:

1. Present and verify key findings from community and stakeholder consultations.

2. Confirm the accuracy of emerging themes, data trends, referral pathways, and

response challenges.

3. Provide recommendations for the way forward, including tailored response

actions and improved support and referral mechanisms.

4. Strengthen partnerships, learning, and collective ownership for coordinated

action moving forward.

These objectives ensured that the findings reflect lived realities and that solutions are

rooted in local capacity and multi-stakeholder cooperation.

The SARV Data Validation Workshop attendees this morning.

With support from the SANTOS Foundation, Share Work’s mapping exercise

documented who is most vulnerable, how accusations emerge, and what local

protection options exist.

Findings highlighted: households at risk, including widows, elderly people, and isolated families, locations where tensions often escalate into accusations, and limited immediate support available to survivors.

From this, Share Work worked with communities to develop clear and practical safety

plans, including emergency contacts, community responders, and designated safe

locations.

Across PNG, the Catholic Church remains one of the strongest frontline responders to

SARV. In dioceses such as in Wabag and Mendi, Catholic Church safe houses and parish

support networks offer emergency shelter, counselling, and accompaniment for

survivors rebuilding their lives.

Attendees during the group discussion

Share Work’s mapping strengthened these efforts by linking communities directly to

Church-run safe houses and referral services, ensuring survivors can access help

quickly National research indicates more than 1,000 documented SARV incidents involving

over 1,500 accused individuals across several hotspot provinces over a four-year period, with hundreds seriously harmed or killed. Many more cases remain unreported due to fear and stigma.

Kutubu communities reflect these same patterns, SARV unequal targets vulnerable

people and destabilizes community life. The Kutubu social-mapping and workshop process shows that locally led analysis, stronger partnerships, and united community church collaboration can greatly reduce harm.

With the support of the SANTOS Foundation, Share Work is helping communities

develop realistic, compassionate, and coordinated safety strategies, while the Catholic

Church continues to provide essential survivor care.

The workshop ended with a group discussion on seven questions that were brought up

during the workshop as well as a case study data comparison .

A safer future for Kutubu and Papua New Guinea is possible when communities ,churches, NGOs, and government work together to prevent SARV and protect the dignity of every person.