Stephen Dupont

Crime in Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby, in Oceania, is rampant. The city is plagued by a 60 percent unemployment rate and chronic poverty hence its reputation as being one of the most dangerous places in the world. According to the Economist, the city is the least livable city on earth. Much of the violent crime is committed by young gang members known as “Raskols”.

In 2004, Stephen Dupont got access to a Raskol community to document the individuals behind the facelessness of gang warfare. Building trust over several visits Dupont was able to set up a makeshift studio in which to photograph his subjects – mostly young, unemployed adults and teenagers – who orchestrate raids, car-jackings, and robberies as a means of survival. The resulting portraits depict the “Kips Kaboni” or “Red Devils,” Papua New Guinea’s oldest Raskols group. Raskols focuses on Papua New Guinean youth in crisis – men that have turned to crime, violence, and anarchy in a bid to protect the future of themselves and their communities.