Sorcery and witchcraft beliefs on the front line of public health response in Papua New Guinea and beyond

Miranda Forsyth, Joanne Taylor, Tambri Housen, Celeste Marsh, Philip Gibbs , William Kipongi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Across the globe today, many communities refer to
sorcery or witchcraft to explain misfortune of all
kinds, including sickness, death and disability.1
This is certainly the case in Papua New Guinea, a highly
diverse country of approximately 9 million people, where
belief in sorcery is widespread across all sectors of society,
including among those in leadership positions, the justice
sector and health care.2 We discuss the implications of
these beliefs for public health professionals. While beliefs
in sorcery and witchcraft also play a role in traditional
healing practices, our focus is on the harmful results of
these beliefs and is not intended to advocate against
traditional healers per se, as it is recognized that they
can and do play an important role in primary health care.
The question of the extent to which traditional healers,
diviners and religious leaders can play a positive role in
helping to prevent the harms generated by witchcraft
beliefs is an important one requiring further research.
While this paper focuses on Papua New Guinea, sorcery
beliefs are widespread in many places worldwide.3 Even
in high-income countries, there has been increased
recognition of the harms generated by witchcraft beliefs.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-5
Number of pages5
JournalWestern Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal
Volume15
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 4 Sept 2024

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