Oxfam's representative in Papua New Guinea, Eileen Kolma, says violence associated with sorcery appears to be a growing problem
Ms Kolma says a culture of silence means there is little in the way of hard data regarding the number of people being killed on suspicion of sorcery, but anecdotal evidence suggests it is on the increase.
"Women especially are being killed without any evidence just on suspicion that the woman has caused sorcery against someone and women are being burnt alive or murdered."
She says research needs to be carried out to confirm the extent of the problem and then an advocacy programme established to try and deal with it.
