Port Moresby (The Post Courier): An eight-year-old girl and a 28-year-old relative escaped from LLG election related violence in the Southern Highlands only to be gang-raped in Jiwaka Province during further political violence.
The two, from Kira village in Kagua, fled into Komun village in the Anglimp District last week, but days later were dragged out of a relative’s house in a compound by locals who gang raped them for seven hours on a roadside.
The incident occurred after locals in Komu and people from the Southern Highlands Province clashed over the LLG election.
The locals stormed the compound which holds plantation workers of Kagua origin and burnt down nine houses.
The vicious attack on the grade three girl and the mother of three continued till daybreak on Monday. The mother of three has a six month old baby.
A relative and Kira community leader Terry Mapu said the attack on the compound and the brutal rape of an underage girl and a breastfeeding mother were inhuman and barbaric. His people had worked for these locals as labourers on their plantation for years.
He said this called for an all-out tribal clash.
Mr Mapu brought the victims for medical check at the Mt Hagen General Hospital yesterday. He said a very large number of armed men and even boys took turn in raping the two in every horrific way imaginable.
The father and husband of the two victims were in Kagua when the ordeal occurred.
Western Highlands Provincial Police Commander Martin Lakari condemned the incident in the highest possible manner, adding that such incidents only occurred in communities which lacked genuine leadership.
He said it was a police matter now and those responsible should be accountable for their unlawful and inhuman actions.
“It’s a totally inhuman and cruel attack on the young girl and breastfeeding mother who were seeking refuge in Komun. People should have respect for our womenfolk. Every woman has a father, brother and relative. We should treat all in the same manner we threat our own relatives,” Chief Lakari said.