Research Seminar (17 October 2025) - Rambos’ Rule: Gender, Guns and Violence in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

Abstract

Rambos’ Rule: Gender, Guns and Violence in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is affected by excessively high levels of interpersonal violence, particularly men’s violence against women, and experiences frequent community conflicts, especially in the Highlands region. These conflicts have been influenced by access to guns, tribalism, traditions of warriorhood, land disputes, and cycles of retaliation. This seminar will reflect on the findings of a research project undertaken in the PNG Highlands in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Programme in 2024. The aim of the research was to gauge the impact of gun violence on women and girls in the Highlands provinces, with a focus on norms feeding the prevalence of pro-violence masculinity.

Bio

Dr Guy Lamb is based at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Political Science, where he is the director of the Conflict, Peacebuilding and Risk Unit. Additionally, he is a member of the Interpol Advisory Council and a Fellow at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research based in Geneva, Switzerland. He serves as a Commissioner on the South African National Planning Commission and as is also a Commissioner on the Western Cape provincial Safety Advisory Committee. From 2012 to 2020, he was the Director of the Safety and Violence Initiative at the University of Cape Town. Dr Lamb has conducted research on issues related to policing, violence, and security since the mid- 1990s.