Breaking the Curse: Sorcery Accusations and Power in the Pacific

Holly Otto | South Pacific Fellow

Image sourced from Jialing Gao via Wikimedia Commons.

In a landmark ruling in Papua New Guinea (PNG), a man was sentenced to five years in prison for accusing 39-year-old Lorna Nico of sorcery, which directly led to the mother of five’s brutal murder. While absent during her killing, the man’s role as a glasman – a self-proclaimed expert in identifying sorcerers – saw him convicted under PNG’s Glasman Act 2022. This decision marks the first successful conviction for making sorcery accusations, setting an important precedent in a nation where belief in black magic and sorcery, or sanguma, has fueled decades of violence.

Across the Pacific, and particularly in Melanesia, magic positively and negatively impacts daily life. Being perceived as a sorcerer, especially after illness, death, or misfortune has occurred, can be fatal. Accusations are deeply rooted in gendered power dynamics and social control. Traditional beliefs and fears remain unchecked by state law and amplified by social media, which accusers exploit to dually subjugate women and gain land, resources, and influence.

While this conviction is a crucial step toward public deterrence and reinforcing the rule of law, it also highlights the enduring regional prominence of sorcery accusations and their profound effects on power and marginalisation. Addressing this issue requires more than legal deterrence. Deeper economic and cultural transformations are essential to dismantle underlying tensions fuelling sorcery-related violence.

The History of Magic in the Pacific

Belief in magic spans the Pacific. For example, in Vanuatu, kastom (custom) reinforces the influence of majik (magic) as a routine and often harmless part of daily life.  During my own time living in Vanuatu, my father – an intensive care doctor – was labeled a kleva (witchdoctor) after a villager witnessed him treat a boil on the chief and mistook the removal of a bandage as “pulling a white snake from his neck.”  More serious practices, nakaemas, involve harmful acts such as poisoning and causing untimely deaths, and are the target of numerous penal codes in Vanuatu, Fiji and Solomon Islands.

In PNG, belief in sanguma fosters particularly extreme paranoia and violence. Invoking ancestors for hunting success or ascribing ailments to capricious spirits are benign aspects of folk religion, however accusing someone of practicing black magic often has fatal consequences. Until 2013, PNG’s laws allowed sanguma as a defense for murder – reinforcing the legitimacy of such accusations. Violence persists despite this legislative amendment, often fuelled by glasmen and glasmeri. For a fee, they exploit grief and fear by ‘identifying’ sorcerers, effectively catalysing community-sanctioned violence. Reports link 18,000 cases of violence against women and children to sanguma, yet only 200 of these have been prosecuted.

The Glasman Act aims to break this cycle by widening the criminality of sorcery-related violence to include those who claim to be, or hire, glasmen. Seven convictions have since occurred, with this recent ruling being the first to convict someone indirectly connected to murder. While this legal milestone signals the beginning of systemic change, lasting social reform cannot be achieved without further economic or cultural interventions. For countless women, girls, and individuals with disabilities, justice remains an unattainable reality.

The Roots of Violence: Power and Marginalisation

Sorcery accusations rarely stem from belief alone. Glasmen and their employers exploit traditional notions and weaponize accusations to obtain money, land, resources and power. Women, particularly widows or those without male protectors, become easy targets. The effects of these accusations are intergenerational – children of the accused as young as seven are banished, tortured, raped or killed for their alleged inherited abilities. Ultimately, these accusations are not merely expressions of superstition, but a tool to reinforce control and marginalisation.

These power dynamics thrive in the absence of state oversight or control. In legal plural systems across the Pacific, customary law is favoured over formal state law in remote regions. In PNG, 80 per cent of the population live in areas without electricity or healthcare, and its residents speak over 800 languages. Accordingly, justice for customary crimes often manifests as collective violence.

Social media has exacerbated the problem by amplifying fear and mistrust. Viral posts spread accusations at alarming speeds, leading to targeted attacks even after victims relocate. In many cases, the rise of social media in the Pacific has outpaced digital literacy and regulatory frameworks. Despite platforms’ attempts to moderate harmful content, enforcement is inconsistent, and governments often lack the resources to combat online incitement.

A Holistic Approach to Change

The gradual introduction of state regulation through the criminal justice system will continue to reduce levels of sorcery-related violence throughout Melanesia. However, legal deterrence must be paired with economic and cultural interventions aimed at dismantling underlying social tensions.

Regional experts have noted a rise in people turning to witchcraft for its economic benefits. Therefore, any attempts to eradicate sorcery-related violence must consider economic imbalance. Empowerment – particularly supporting women’s financial independence – would reduce land and resource disputes and ultimately eliminate motivations behind accusations.

Education is also vital in debunking sanguma beliefs and fostering respect for the rule of law. The Papua New Guinea Tribal Foundation challenges superstitions without alienating cultural values by educating communities on the medical causes of illness and death. Surprisingly, sanguma and missionary-introduced Christianity are often revered side-by-side. Faith-based organisations like churches are similarly influential in challenging harmful practices.

The most recent conviction under the Glasman Act has opened a door, but walking through it will require reimagining justice, addressing historical wrongs, and empowering the vulnerable. Only by breaking the cycle of violence rooted in black magic can the Pacific finally chart a path toward lasting peace.

Holly Otto is the South Pacific Fellow for Young Australians in International Affairs (YAIA). She is a recent Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Arts graduate from the University of Queensland, with majors in International Relations and History. Having completed her final semester at the National University of Singapore as a 2024 Westpac Asian Exchange Scholar, she looks forward to commencing work as a Judge’s Associate in 2025. As YAIA's South Pacific Fellow, Holly is eager to continue engaging with this dynamic region, highlighting the importance of Pacific literacy in Australia, and exploring her interests in justice and human rights in plural legal systems.