What does the Papua New Guinea report establish about raising children?
For raising children in Papua New Guinea, Rage 2 Rebuild selects “Education and children’s rights” from Humanists International’s chapter dated 2 December 2021. It describes national institutions or published conditions, not family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check current facts before acting.
Country chapter updated 2 December 2021 · retrieved September 5, 2026. This chapter is more than two years old. Its assessments are not confirmation of current law or a prediction about your circumstances.
Education and children’s rights
Corporal punishment of children in PNG is lawful in the home, alternative care settings, day care and schools. Article 278 of the Criminal Code 1974 provides for the use of force “by way of correction” by parents and teachers. Article 42 of the Constitution, concerning the treatment of persons arrested or detained, states: “Subject to any other law, nothing in this section applies in respect of any reasonable act of the parent or guardian of a child, or a person into whose care a child has been committed, in the course of the education, discipline or upbringing of the child.”
Sorcery, Witch hunts, and related violence
The country repealed the 1971 Sorcery Act in 2013 after international pressure; the colonial-era legislation sought “to prevent and punish evil practices of sorcery and other similar evil practices.” The victim’s first-born children are also killed due to the belief that sorcery is passed down to them. Such violence rarely gets reported.
Constitution and judiciary
Article 45 of the Constitution provides the individual the right to “freedom of conscience, thought, and religion”: “1. Every person has the right to freedom of conscience, thought and religion and the practice of his religion and beliefs, including freedom to manifest and propagate his religion and beliefs in such a way as not to interfere with the freedom of others, except to the extent that the exercise of that right is regulated or restricted by a law that complies with Section 38 (general qualifications on qualified rights). 2. …
Report extracts and assessment data are reused/adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Humanists International does not endorse Elder X. Original reflection guidance is identified separately below.
Which Papua New Guinea findings should I check before acting?
Rage 2 Rebuild highlights 4 published findings for raising children in Papua New Guinea. Our selection connects the 2 December 2021 chapter with school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Each quote is separate from our practical question. It identifies something to investigate, not a conclusion about your household.
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
State-funded schools offer religious or ideological instruction with no secular or humanist alternative, but it is optional
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
The report describes social or institutional pressure. That context matters, but it cannot predict the response of one family or community.
A question to verify: Who would learn about the decision, and what essential support could change if that happened?
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
This is a published assessment of institutions, not an individual outcome or a current legal determination.
A question to verify: Which part of this assessment applies to the actual decision, and what still needs current local verification?
How can I support children while my beliefs change?
For raising children in Papua New Guinea, Rage 2 Rebuild suggests this decision: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. The two starting points below address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Check consequential facts with appropriate current help; these are reflection prompts, not a certified procedure.
Make questions welcome without recruiting the child
A child can ask why people believe different things without being asked to choose a side between adults. Use language appropriate to their age and understanding. You can say that you are still learning and that people in the family may answer differently.
Investigate the actual school arrangement
Ask about religious instruction, worship, ceremonies, alternatives, notice to parents and any opt-out process at the particular school. A national policy and a classroom practice can differ. Keep a copy of a published policy only where doing so is appropriate for your circumstances.
Read the full general guide for this decision →
Start with your own question →What would help with raising children?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Papua New Guinea reflection tool offers three starting points for raising children. Choose a situation to see a practical question and a country finding to check. Your choice stays in page memory; it is not sent, stored as a plan or used to diagnose you. You can clear it or read without answering.
You can use the guide without choosing an option.
How did religious identity change in Papua New Guinea?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Papua New Guinea table shows 0.4% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 0.3% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
| Identity | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian | 99.5% | 99.1% | -0.4 pp |
| Muslim | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 0.4% | 0.3% | -0.1 pp |
| Buddhist | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Hindu | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Jewish | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Other religions | Less than 0.1% | 0.5% | Not calculated |
“Other religions” combines traditions that cannot be analyzed separately here. A “less than” input stays an inequality; a change involving it is not calculated. Rounding and demographic processes matter. Nationality does not establish anyone’s beliefs.
Pew’s original Papua New Guinea table, PDF page 15 ↗ · Methods and downloadable calculations
What kind of support does Rage 2 Rebuild offer in Papua New Guinea?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers non-urgent personal conversation about raising children in Papua New Guinea. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed response time. This is remote contact with Elder X, not therapy, legal advice, emergency help or a verified local referral. Choose qualified support when the decision requires it.
For consequential questions involving law, safety, children, health or institutional records, seek the appropriate qualified source and ask about privacy before sharing identifying details. For general stress skills, the World Health Organization’s Doing What Matters guide is an external educational resource; it is not a study of people using this site or proof of a particular recovery result.
What else should I know about raising children in Papua New Guinea?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s six answers about raising children in Papua New Guinea address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. The 2 December 2021 chapter’s “Education and children’s rights” passage provides country background. Use these questions to distinguish your next decision, that source’s limits, religious-identity figures and remote contact.
How can I support children while my beliefs change in Papua New Guinea?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s starting point for raising children in Papua New Guinea is: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. Separate school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions before choosing an action. The country report provides dated context; it does not settle the personal choice. If essential needs or legal consequences are involved, verify the actual situation with appropriate current help.
What does the country report establish about raising children in Papua New Guinea?
Rage 2 Rebuild uses “Education and children’s rights” in Humanists International’s Papua New Guinea chapter, updated 2 December 2021, to identify a relevant institutional question. The report flags “There is state funding of at least some religious schools.” That is dated country context, not a finding about family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check the original passage and current facts before applying it.
Can I infer a school’s policy from the country rating?
No. The rating is a published national assessment and may summarize varied arrangements. Ask the school or responsible authority about its current policy and available alternatives. Rage 2 Rebuild’s Papua New Guinea guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
Should children be told religion is always harmful?
This site does not recommend replacing one compulsory conclusion with another. Children can learn to ask questions, consider evidence and respect people while discussing specific harmful behavior honestly. Rage 2 Rebuild’s Papua New Guinea guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
What do the religious-identity figures for Papua New Guinea establish?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Papua New Guinea table shows 0.4% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 0.3% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
Does Rage 2 Rebuild provide local or emergency support in Papua New Guinea?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers remote, non-urgent personal conversation about raising children. No local office, clinician or verified referral network in Papua New Guinea is claimed. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed reply time. For immediate danger, use appropriate emergency help where you are rather than this form.