Pacific

Plight of Bougainville's Carteret Islanders increasingly dire

22:39 pm on 17 December 2013

Tulele Peisa, a non-government organisation in Papua New Guinea's Bougainville says they need more help to cater for growing numbers of families wanting to move to the main island from the Carterets.

The tiny islands are increasingly under threat from the effects of climate change, with flooding affecting residents' chances for producing food.

Tulele Peisa's spokesperson Ursula Rakova says people on the Carterets are struggling to feed themselves.

She says their situation amounts to an abuse of human rights.

Tulele Peisa, supported by the Catholic Church, is providing land on Bougainville Island, near Tinputz, where the people are being resettled.

Ms Rakova says they have settled seven families so far and built 6 and a half houses, but many others want to move.

"When we started in 2009 there were 83 families that volunteered to move. The list is actually increasing and the council of elders from the Carterets keeps giving us a list of names that we cannot manage to deal with."

Ursula Rakova says they are not able to move people until houses are built.