CIVICUS speaks about recent riots and the worsening human rights situation in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with Shirley Abriella Kaupa, Program Coordinator at Magna Carta PNG.
Magna Carta PNG is a community-based human rights organisation headquartered in Port Moresby, PNG’s capital, and connected to a nationwide human rights network. It promotes human rights in PNG through advocacy, reporting, education and awareness-raising activities.
What triggered recent riots in Papua New Guinea?
People are on edge. There are very high levels of poverty and informal work. Only 25 per cent of people have formal, stable jobs, while the rest rely on the grey sector of the economy to make ends meet. I’ve seen young people, women and even children about five or six years old participate in the looting, which indicates that people are suffering due to lack of a steady income.
These long-term issues resulted in riots and looting erupting in Port Moresby on 10 January, because police officers went on strike in protest against pay cuts, and people realised there would be no one to maintain law and order.
It all happened very suddenly. It appears to have been spontaneous because there wasn’t even a notification that a demonstration would occur. My colleagues and I were in the office downtown when we suddenly noticed smoke rising from the city pharmacy building, and were fortunate to reach safety before the situation worsened. Those stuck in traffic had to abandon their vehicles, and an estimated 89 cars were stolen. Looters aggressively seized car keys and forcibly removed people from their cars, with some using knives.
How did the government react?
The government first deployed the defence forces, which aren’t trained to deal with civilians. Their task was to ensure that people remained in their homes. Then the police took over the emergency response, and that’s when violent clashes occurred.
According to the Port Moresby Emergency Hospital report, 389 people sought medical assistance for injuries, while others were likely treated by their families at home. Reported fatalities ranged from 230 to 270 people, and there were up to 70 rapes.
In response, the National Executive Council suspended the Deputy Police Commissioner, the National Capital District’s Police Commissioner and the President of the Police Union, all of whom will face trial. Several police officers have also been suspended and face administrative and criminal charges. However, no people identified as looters through CCTV or video recordings have been apprehended.
Prime Minister James Marape expressed concern and sympathy to the people of PNG and the owners of businesses that suffered significant losses. However, the government hasn’t announced any financial help, so only those with insurance coverage will receive compensation, while others will be left struggling to recover.
Do you think there’s a need for police reform?
If anything is clear, it is that the police response we saw to the January riots mustn’t happen again. A thorough review must be conducted, and improvements must be made to the protocols of police response in such situations. Even in violent scenarios, the police must comply with standard operating procedures and abide by international standards on the use of force.
It is also clear that the police need to be improved, not dissolved. All security forces and correctional services must be adequately funded and equipped to ensure public safety. The state is responsible for empowering and supporting them so they can effectively serve the people.
Just a few weeks after the riots, about 400 police officers were deployed in Port Moresby because a vote of no confidence in Marape was scheduled for 13 February, and there was potential for rioting to recur on that date.
What other human rights issues does PNG face?
One pressing issue is the high level of corruption. No bureaucrat or political leader has faced arrest for misappropriating public funds or other corruption charges. Impunity fosters further corruption, which has reached proportions that impede the country’s development.
Over the last five years, PNG has experienced an extreme shortage of medication in the public health system. The health budget is insufficient. There aren’t enough hospital beds, and patients are forced to sleep in corridors even in large national hospitals.
There are also several security issues. Violence is on the rise, and sexual abuse of minors has reached a new level. There’s a lack of essential services for survivors, such as trauma counselling for children. It’s also difficult for the victims of sexual violence to obtain medical help due to the poor state of hospitals.
Civil society does what it can to help. Magna Carta PNG runs a safe house where I work as a volunteer, taking care of violence survivors. Our colleagues provide legal interim protection for victims and bring their cases to court.
Unfortunately, civil society has never been able to cooperate with the Department of Community Development, which includes offices dedicated to gender-based violence, child protection, women and young people. This department doesn’t provide any funding or other support to civil society groups addressing these issues.
How is Magna Carta PNG working to improve the human rights situation?
Our work is based on four pillars: human rights protection, reporting, education and awareness raising. We are in constant communication with state authorities, members of parliament and the police. We review their policies and decisions and put out statements. We monitor and report human rights violations in collaboration with the United Nations Office of the High Commission of Human Rights (OHCHR).
We do a lot of advocacy work. We long advocated for establishing the National Institute for Human Rights and the National Human Rights Commission. Finally, last year, the Department of Justice and the Attorney General set up the Human Rights Secretariat, and three of its employees travelled to other countries to study how they set up a human rights commission. The European Union funded the initiative. The establishment of the Human Rights Commission is underway.
We also address human rights concerns and make recommendations to the Human Rights Forum, co-chaired by the secretary of the Department of Justice, the Attorney General and the OHCHR. For example, we’ve cooperated to improve the juvenile justice system and enhance community awareness and outreach.
We are now actively involved in developing a bill protecting human rights defenders.
We also strive to empower and educate young human rights defenders and lawyers so they can amplify their voices and strengthen their skills to advance human rights. We must provide better opportunities for young activists to conduct human rights awareness and advocacy initiatives because their boundless energy drives positive changes in our country.
Despite receiving insufficient financial support, we’re committed to continuing our work. We are getting better at reporting about our work, which is essential to attract donors. This year, the UK embassy gave us a few grants that enabled us to assess conditions in juvenile prison camps and female detention facilities across six provinces of PNG. This will be one of our key activities in 2024.
Civic space in Papua New Guinea is rated ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with Magna Carta PNG through its Facebook page.
