Implementing the Sorcery National Action Plan (SNAP): The Need for Coordinated Participatory Research and for the Development of Effective Communication Strategies

The Sorcery National Action Plan (SNAP) is an analytical policy document developed as an intervention strategy in response to increased accounts of sorcery and witchcraft-related violence in Papua New Guinea (PNG). SNAP’s mission is to make PNG society free from sorcery and witchcraft-related violence through strengthened partnerships among relevant stakeholders. It is a five-part strategy that focuses on care and counselling, advocacy and communication, law and protection, and health and research. Research, communication and advocacy have been identified in SNAP as the critical components needed to establish an evidence-based framework that will address violence related to sorcery and witchcraft. Methodical implementation of strategy has been recognized as the key to achieving the projected long-term outcomes envisioned in SNAP. This article emphasizes the importance of a coordinated participatory approach to research and reporting. With such an approach, SNAP will be continuously supported with evidence-based information for planning, incremental policy development and implementation. The paper also highlights the need for developing effective communication strategies as a vehicle to drive community advocacy to transform conflict and bring about social change