A Catholic nun who fights against the “witch hunt”, was awarded the Weimar prize

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Papua New Guinea, illustration / priroda.su

Swiss nun Lorena Jenal that fights against the “witch hunt”, helping the victims, received the award in the Weimar human rights.

About it reports “the Week”, citing the Swiss newspaper “Südostschweiz”.

Sister Lorena says that women are associated, stripped and tortured with red – hot iron rods publicly in the village square, in front of a crowd of onlookers. That sounds like a cruel relic of the middle Ages, is a relatively new but fast growing phenomenon in Papua New Guinea. Sister Lorena is struggling with these brutal human rights violations and trying to take care of the victims.

In 1979, the Catholic nun went to Papua New Guinea. “I arrived in a country where still reigned the stone age,” she says. In the highlands, she met the women in skirts of grass and men in loincloths who use the bow and arrow.

Daily nurse Lorena caring for women victims of violence, check people for diseases, helps them to get out of the antisocial lifestyle, caring for sick and abandoned children. Together with its other sisters, she founded the “group mom” in different parts of the country: local women scientists and women farmers are working together, speaking out for women’s rights, education and equal rights in society.

Since 2012, she began to notice a new phenomenon that women and men are called “witchcraft” found in him was tortured to death. In total, her memory was 44 cases of “witch hunt” and executions, which she personally saw. Some survivors she still accompanies and looks after them. Since November 2017 sisters had recorded 17 new cases.

Women who are victims of disasters in tribal societies, and because there are no more strong leaders as intermediaries, violence against these women results in burning at the stake. Although the majority of the population of Papua New Guinea professes Christianity, belief in supernatural powers is still widespread. With the support of the Catholic organization aid mission sister Lorena Iinal plans to implement an extensive programme to raise awareness in all levels of society to combat prejudice and witch hunts in schools, families, rural communities, the police and the parishes.