Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2012: Papua New Guinea.

摘要

Papua New Guinea is a constitutional, federal, multiparty, parliamentary democracy. On August 3, Peter ONeill became prime minister again after national parliamentary elections in June. Citizens generally accepted election results, but election observers expressed concern about instances of violence, fraud, and significant, widespread procedural deficiencies that they believed affected the results in some provinces. Security forces reported to civilian authorities, but there were some instances in which they acted independently of civilian control. The principal human rights abuses were severe police abuse of detainees; violence and discrimination against women; and vigilante killings and abuses, some related to alleged involvement in sorcery and witchcraft. Other human rights problems included poor prison conditions; lengthy pretrial detention; infringement of citizens privacy rights, particularly in highland areas; government corruption; abuse and sexual exploitation of children; trafficking in persons; discrimination against persons with disabilities; intertribal violence; and ineffective enforcement of labor laws. Despite minor reforms to the justice system, the government frequently failed to prosecute or punish officials who committed abuses, whether in the security services or elsewhere in the government. Impunity was pervasive.