By Harlyne Joku and BenarNews staff
Residents of an informal Port Moresby settlement that was razed following the gang rape and murder of a woman by 20 men say they are being unfairly punished by Papua New Guinea authorities over alleged links to the crime.
Human rights advocates and the UN have condemned the killing but warned the eviction by police has raised serious concerns about collective punishment, violations of national law, police misconduct and governance failures.
A community spokesman said more than 500 people living at the settlement at the capital’s Baruni rubbish dump were forcibly evicted by the police in response to the killing of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel on February 15.
Authorities accuse the settlement residents, who are primarily migrants from the Goilala district in Central Province, of harboring some of the men involved in her murder.
Prime Minister James Marape condemned Gabriel’s death as “inhuman, barbaric” and a “defining moment for our nation to unite against crime, to take a stand against violence”, the day after the attack.
He assured every effort would be made to prosecute those responsible and his “unwavering support” for the removal of settlements like Baruni, calling them “breeding grounds for criminal elements who terrorise innocent people.”
Gabriel was one of three women killed in the capital that week.
Charged with rape, murder
Four men from Goilala district and two from Enga province, all aged between 18 and 29, appeared in a Port Moresby court on Monday on charges of her rape and murder.
The case has again put a spotlight again on gender-based violence in PNG and renewed calls for the government to find a long-term solution to Port Moresby’s impoverished settlements.
Dozens of families, some of whom have lived in the Baruni settlement for more than 40 years, were forced out of their homes on February 22 and are now sleeping under blue tarpaulins at a school sports oval on the outskirts of the capital.
“My people are innocent,” Peter Laiam, a community spokesman and school caretaker, told BenarNews, adding that police continued to harass the community at their new location.
“They told me I had to move these people out in two weeks’ time or they will shoot us.”
Laiam said a further six men from the settlement were suspected of involvement in Gabriel’s death, but had not been charged, and the community has fully cooperated with police on the matter, including naming the suspects.
Authorities however were treating the entire population as “trouble makers,” Laiam added.
“They also took cash and building materials like corrugated iron roofing for themselves” he said.
No police response
Senior police in Port Moresby did not respond to ongoing requests from BenarNews for reaction to the allegations.
Assistant Commissioner Benjamin Turi last week thanked the evicted settlers for information that led to the arrest of six suspects, The National newspaper reported.
Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Junior defended the eviction at Baruni last month, telling EMTV News it was lawful and the settlement was on state-owned land.
Police used excavators and other heavy machinery to tear down houses at the Baruni settlement, with images showing some buildings on fire.
Residents say the resettlement site in Laloki lacks adequate water, sanitation and other facilities.
“They are running out of food,” Laiam said. “Last weekend they were washed out by the rain and their food supplies were finished.”
Separated from their gardens and unable to sell firewood, the families are surviving on food donations from local authorities, he said.
Human rights critics
The evictions have been criticised by human rights advocates, including Peterson Magoola, the UN Women Representative for PNG.
“We strongly condemn all acts of sexual and gender-based violence and call for justice for the victim,” he said in a statement last month.
“At the same time, collective punishment, forced evictions, and destruction of homes violate fundamental human rights and disproportionately harm vulnerable members of the community.”
Melanesian Solidarity, a local nonprofit, called on the government to ensure justice for both the murder victim and displaced families.
It said the evictions might have contravened international treaties and domestic laws that protect against unlawful property deprivation and mandate proper legal procedures for relocation.
The Baruni settlement, which is home primarily to migrants from Goilala district, was established with consent on the customary land of the Baruni people during the colonial era, according to Laiam.
Central Province Governor Rufina Peter defended the evicted settlers on national broadcaster NBC on February 20, and their contribution to the national capital.
“The Goilala people were here during pre-independence time. They are the ones who were the bucket carriers,” she said.
‘Knee jerk’ response
She also criticised the eviction by police as “knee jerk” and raised human rights concerns.
The Goilala community in Central Province, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital, was the center of controversy in January when a trophy video of butchered body parts being displayed by a gang went viral, attracted erroneous ‘cannibalism’ reportage by the local media and sparked national and international condemnation.
The evictions at Baruni have touched off again a complex debate about crime and housing in PNG, the Pacific’s most populous nation.
Informal settlements have mushroomed in Port Moresby as thousands of people from the countryside migrate to the city in search of employment.
Critics say the impoverished settlements are unfit for habitation, contribute to the city’s frequent utility shortages, and harbour criminals.
Mass evictions have been ordered before, but the government has failed to enact any meaningful policies to address their rapid growth across the city.
While accurate population data is hard to find in PNG, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that the number of people living in Port Moresby is about 513,000.
Lack basic infrastructure
At least half of them are thought to live in informal settlements, which lack basic infrastructure like water, electricity and sewerage, according to 2022 research by the PNG National Research Institute.
A shortage of affordable housing and high rental prices have caused a mismatch between demand and supply.
Melanesian Solidarity said the government needed to develop a national housing strategy to prevent the rise of informal settlements.
“This eviction is a wake-up call for the government to implement sustainable urban planning and housing reforms rather than resorting to forced removals,” it said in a statement.
“We stand with the affected families and demand justice, accountability, and humane solutions for all Papua New Guineans.”
Stefan Armbruster, Sue Ahearn and Harry Pearl contributed to this story. Republished from BenarNews with permission. However, it is the last report from BenarNews as the editors have announced a “pause” in publication due to the US administration withholding funds.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.