Today, I tried to steer away from the emotional aspect of another story that has again challenged by sanity.
It was the story of Henrietta Jimmy, a beautiful young Papua New Guinean woman. I didn’t know her personally but her strength and character reminded me of my own sisters.
Last week, she was raped and killed along the banks of the Markham river. Her killer has since been arrested and charged. But like all matters like this, it has brought me no satisfaction.
Like many other young boys and girls, she knew her attacker who was a family member through her mother’s second marriage.
She is a twin and she’s left behind a broken sister and a broken father.
I pursued the standard line of questioning. The usual…”What kind of emotions did you feel when you got the news?” “…what do you want to see happen?”… Sometimes, it makes me wonder why people like me exist. Is it to channel someone’s pain to yourself and then amplify it?
I steered clear of the emotions. After 19 years and numerous stories of child murders and rapes, you become somewhat an expert and emotional detachment. It comes back to haunt you later, though. But what you can do at the moment you do. You switch off and be the professional you were trained to be. You know, it never works.
Her father told me he didn’t know what do. “I had twins. And for one to die and be left with another is one of the hardest things that can happen.”
Her twin sister didn’t want to talk to me.
Now I start to wonder if the world is at all becoming a better place with all the awareness or is it just disintegrating?
Her killer raped and killed her. She was found naked days later along the Markham River. What kind of sick animal can beat a woman, drag her to a secluded spot, rape her then kill her hoping nobody would find her.
I have seen too many raped and killed. Too many. The worst cases that are imprinted in your mind are those of children raped and murdered. The boy in West Taraka who was raped, suffocated with his own underwear and stabbed in the belly, is still fresh in my mind. I cannot get rid of that image.
I have seen too much death. I have seen too much pain.
Oh my goodness this is gross!
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You and your family have my heartfelt sorrow at your sisters passing. I hate the way she spent her last days and hope that justice is short and swift. Yes even one person treated so is inhuman and terrible but worse we know Henrietta is not the first but I pray the last.
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Scott – sorry – but you are a very important person in all of this. You're very good at what you do and you need to keep doing it. Reporting about self important and naive students who ignorantly postulate that the stepping down of one politician and the replacement by another will somehow bring about miraculous systemic change is just a complete waste of your time. It is stories like this and – most importantly – YOUR critical analysis of the type of society that allows continuing and rampant violence against women to continue – which shows your true calling. Your post o. This speaks for itself – and really answers your own question. There has to be a way to deter these crimes. To change the mindset of a society which sees this all too often. Unfortunately for you – part of this job is at your feet. Oh for the students to have been giving strident and desperate awareness about the violence against women that permeates every level of PNG society. They don't. Their student leaders don't get paid to do that. That horrible but incredibly valuable task falls to you. Because you are such a brilliant journo. And you understand what an epidemic it is and how entrenched it has become. Oh I wish PNGeans could be as passionate about terminating violence against women as they are about the State of Origin. It is widely tolerated – hell – in some places it is acceptable and the norm. Which is why you are important and have to keep reporting. It doesn't matter what sentence is given. There's never justice in these situations. Currently the death penalty would be available – the perpetrator would no doubt be charged with wilful murder – which carries the death penalty. And yet the man did this – knowing this. Clearly the death penalty is not a deterrent on its own. And NEVER has been. Will the death penalty bring her back ? No. Only attitudinal change will deter this and bring “justice” whatever the hell that word means. You have a gift Scott. You're a great journo. There are few around. And like all kinds of great talent – it comes with a cost – and it is that which you are experiencing now. You have great empathy for others. I hope that continues – and I'm sorry that that empathy does hurt your soul – but the minute it does stop hurting- we should be very worried – because that means that this sort of horror is somehow normal. I'm sorry you're tired and frustrated and sick to the stomach of these stories – but PNG needs you to keep going. It pretty much comes down to that. Take comfort in the fact that because you are good at what you do – maybe – just maybe – you can be a catalyst for real change in this area. Don't give up. Find your iron man suit. It's your calling.
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Thank you person from Port Moresby. I really appreciate your words. Stay out of trouble.
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Insane , inhuman , animalistic behaviour, words cant express the loss this young girls father and the immediate families are feeling at the moment…..To my brother and namesake Jimmy, bel blo mi na family stap wantem yu na May the good Lord grant you eternal peace….
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Bro Scoty, well done in covering this gruesome story. Keep up your investigative journalism way of reporting. Awara singa!
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You have an important job that keeps the world a sane place; without people like you, the world will be chaos. Please continue to follow up on those stories and bring the culprits to justice and expose core reason behind all these evil acts that are happening to innocent children. We have seen quite an increase in children being abducted, raped and killed, which is something new in our society. We appreciate you cover that story; we would like to know why so many in recent years and find out whats actually causing such acts. It’s very abhorrent and we begin to see signs of moral decay in our society.
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My deepest condolences to the family and friends. I cant express how i feel for this innocent life. The face looks familiar in lae.. I couldn’t recall where i see this face but so shocking to ear this sudden death.
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