Witchcraft accusations against children in Africa

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Witchcraft accusations against children in Africa have received increasing international attention in the first decade of the 21st century. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The phenomenon of witch-hunts in Sub-Saharan Africa is ancient, [4] but the problem has been exasperated due to charismatic preachers such as Helen Ukpabio. [4] According to UNICEF, accusations are spurred on by "urbanization, poverty, conflict and fragmenting communities". [5] [6]

Practice

Recent reports by UNICEF, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Save the Children and Human Rights Watch [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] have also highlighted the violence and abuse towards children accused of witchcraft in Africa. Accusations of witchcraft in Africa are a very serious matter as the witch is culturally understood to be the epitome of evil and the cause of all misfortune, disease and death. Consequently, the witch is the most hated person in African society and subjected to punishment, torture and even death. [11] [12]

The victims of witchcraft accusations in African societies have usually been the elderly, the disabled, albinos and anyone who was considered different. [13] [14] [15] In recent years due to the impact of rapid urbanisation, economic decline, as well as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, children have become more and more the victims of witchcraft accusations, especially orphans. Other factors of the rise of accusations include the rise of charismatic preachers such as Helen Ukpabio, generational social conflicts and the deterioration of education systems. Religiously-inspired films also legitimize beliefs about children witches. [4]

Child victims of witchcraft accusations are more vulnerable than adult victims as they cannot defend themselves as they are confronted with physical and psychological abuse from their family and community. [16]

The sheer scale and intenseness of the recent witch-hunts targeting children classifies as unprecedented in written history.

— Ethnologist Felix Riedel [4]

Children accused of witchcraft may be subjected to violent exorcism rituals by African Pentecostal-Charismatic pastors who mix Christianity with African witchcraft beliefs. Such exorcism may include incarceration, starvation, being made to drink hazardous substances or even being set on fire with gasoline. [16] In other cases accused children are expelled and end up living on the streets, are trafficked and in some instances they are killed. [5] [4]

By country

Angola

In Angola, many orphaned children are accused of witchcraft and demonic possession by relatives in order to justify not providing for them. [17] Various methods are employed: starvation, beating, unknown substances rubbed into their eyes or being chained or tied up. [18] Many of those who are rejected by their family end up in orphanages and are shunned by the population. [19]

The Gambia

In The Gambia, about 1,000 people accused of being witches were locked in government detention centers in March 2009. They were forced to drink an unknown hallucinogenic potion, according to Amnesty International. [20] They were then forced to confess to witchcraft, with some being severely beaten. [21]

Uganda

Witchdoctors, who also identify as traditional healers, will consult the spirits for anyone who can pay their fee. [22] The spirits will communicate via them the kind of sacrifice for appeasement that they want. Often these sacrifices are chickens or goats, but when such sacrifices fail to make the client prosper instantly, ‘the spirits' will demand human sacrifices. [23]

When a child is sacrificed, the witch doctor and his accomplices will generally undertake the whole process. [22] This includes: the witch-hunt, the abduction, followed by the removal of certain body parts, the making of a potion and lastly if required the discarding of the child's body. [22]

Nigeria

In Nigeria, Helen Ukpabio and other Pentecostal pastors have incorporated African witchcraft beliefs into their brand of Christianity, resulting in a campaign of violence against young Nigerians. Children and babies branded as evil are being abused, abandoned and even murdered. The preachers make money out of the fear, providing costly exorcism services to their parents and their communities. [24] [25] Human rights activists opposing the practice have been threatened and some, such as humanist Leo Igwe, mobbed and harassed by police. [26] One source estimates 15,000 children in the Niger Delta alone have been forced on the streets by witchcraft accusations. [4]

[Children] are taken to churches where they are subjected to inhumane and degrading torture in the name of 'exorcism'. They are chained, starved, hacked with machetes, lynched or murdered in cold blood.

— Humanist Leo Igwe [26]

In Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State of Nigeria, about 15,000 children were branded as witches and most of them end up abandoned and abused on the streets. [20] A documentary aired on Channel 4 and the BBC, Saving Africa's Witch Children , shows the work of Gary Foxcroft and Stepping Stones Nigeria in addressing these abuses. The Danish humanitarian Anja Ringgren Lovén founded a charity to rescue abandoned and tortured children, and to give them the opportunity to go to school. [27]

Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries, the young survivors of the ebola epidemic are often accused of withcraft, losing parents to the disease and community support to superstition. [28]

According to a disputable empiric construction, sick infants tend to have better survival rates due to witch-hunts:

[T]he effect of the witch cleansing probably lasts for years in the sense that mothers are predisposed to tend their babies with more hopefulness and real concern. Therefore many babies who, before the arrival of the witchfinder, might have been saved if the mothers had had the heart and will to stop at nothing to tend their babies, will now survive precisely because they will receive the best attention, as the mothers now believe that the remaining children are free of witchcraft. So there is a reduction in the infant mortality rate in the years immediately following the witchcleansing movement. [29]

Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is estimated that there are 25,000 homeless children living on the streets of the capital city. Of these, 60% were expelled from their homes because of allegations of witchcraft. Accusations of witchcraft is the only justifiable reason for the refusal to house a family member, no matter how distant the relation. [30] As a result, 50,000 children are kept in churches for exorcisms. [4]

Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, Mingi is the traditional belief among the Omotic-speaking Karo people and Hamar people in southern Ethiopia that adults and children with physical abnormalities are ritually impure. [31] [32] The latter are believed to exert an evil influence upon others, so disabled infants have traditionally been disposed of without a proper burial. [31] Children are killed by forced permanent separation from the tribe by being left alone in the jungle or by drowning in the river. [33] [34] [35]

Reasons for being declared impure include birth out of wedlock, the birth of twins, the eruption of teeth in the upper jaw before the lower jaw, and chipping a tooth in childhood. [36] [37]

Possible solutions

Interventions until now have been limited and localised such as the safe houses run by Safe Child Africa and their partners in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria by Bishop Emílio Sumbelelo of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Diocese of Uíje, Angola, and by Africa Outreach in Malawi. [38] [39] [40] [41] Following the distribution of documentaries on the topic, such as Saving Africa's Witch-Children (2008) and Dispatches: Return to Africa's Witch Children, [4] global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa is growing as evidenced by the above-mentioned UNICEF and UNHCR reports.

According to Dr. Erwin Van der Meer, a researcher with the University of South Africa, it is likely that increased global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa will eventually lead to more initiatives to assist its victims. Nevertheless, it is equally important to address the underlying socioeconomic, political and environmental factors that contribute to this problem. [42]

Van der Meer suggests that, in the meantime, the general population in countries where child witchcraft beliefs are prevalent need to be convinced that the torture and killing of children is unacceptable. This can be done by means of grass-roots awareness and prevention campaigns, conferences and theological education with the support of religious leaders. The judiciary, human rights organizations, civil society, and local and national governments can also aid this. [43]

Leo Igwe criticizes Western interpretations of witchcraft as a socially stabilizing mechanism and suggests that the most effective way to end witch persecution is to state clearly the superstitious nature of witchcraft belief. According to Igwe, campaigns against witch persecution should be based on fact and science. While Igwe supports collaborating with faith-based individuals and organizations, his approach includes calling out religious efforts that threaten or undermine advocacy against witch persecution. [44]

Spread to the UK

Research by Leo Ruickbie has shown that the problem of child witchcraft accusations is spreading from Africa to areas with African immigrant populations. In some cases this has led to ritualised abuse and even murder, particularly in the UK with such high-profile cases as that of Kristy Bamu in 2010. [45] [46]

See also

Related:

Related Research Articles

Witchcraft is the use of alleged supernatural powers of magic. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Witchcraft thus defined exists more in the imagination", but it "has constituted for many cultures a viable explanation of evil in the world". The belief in witchcraft has been found throughout history in a great number of societies worldwide. Most of these societies have used protective magic or counter-magic against witchcraft, and have shunned, banished, imprisoned, physically punished or killed alleged witches. Anthropologists use the term "witchcraft" for similar beliefs about harmful occult practices in different cultures, and these societies often use the term when speaking in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch hunt</span> Search for witchcraft or subversive activity

A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the Middle East. In medieval Europe, witch-hunts often arose in connection to charges of heresy from Christianity. An intensive period of witch-hunts occurring in Early Modern Europe and to a smaller extent Colonial America, took place from about 1450 to 1750, spanning the upheavals of the Counter Reformation and the Thirty Years' War, resulting in an estimated 35,000 to 60,000 executions. The last executions of people convicted as witches in Europe took place in the 18th century. In other regions, like Africa and Asia, contemporary witch-hunts have been reported from sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea, and official legislation against witchcraft is still found in Saudi Arabia, Cameroon and South Africa today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian witchcraft</span> Various types of witchcraft practices across Asia

Asian witchcraft encompasses various types of witchcraft practices across Asia. In ancient times, magic played a significant role in societies such as ancient Egypt and Babylonia, as evidenced by historical records. In the Middle East, references to magic can be found in the Torah and the Quran, where witchcraft is condemned due to its association with belief in magic, as it is within other Abrahamic religions.

Religious abuse is abuse administered through religion, including harassment, humiliation, spiritual abuse or religious violence. Religious abuse may also include the misuse of religion for selfish, secular, or ideological ends, such as the abuse of a clerical position.

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, but the government imposes onerous criteria on religious groups for official recognition, which is required for the legal construction of houses of worship. There is no registered muslim groups in Angola.

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, although it prohibits what the Government considers to be religious fundamentalism.

Children have been accused of witchcraft, both historically and in contemporary times, in societies that harbor beliefs about the existence of witches and black magic. These accusations have led to punishment, imprisonment, torture, and execution of children.

Helen Ukpabio is the founder and head of African Evangelical franchise Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries based in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. She is widely accused of causing large-scale harassment and violence against children accused of witchcraft.

Saving Africa's Witch Children is a documentary directed by Mags Gavan and Joost van der Valk. It features Gary Foxcroft and his organisation Stepping Stones Nigeria who campaign against the branding of children as witches in Nigeria, primarily by the evangelical "Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries", headed by Helen Ukpabio.

Mingi is the traditional belief among the South Omotic-speaking Karo and Hamar peoples of southern Ethiopia that children with perceived and true physical abnormalities are ritually impure. An example of perceived abnormalities include the top teeth erupting before bottom teeth. Children born out of wedlock (marriage) are also considered impure and therefore capable of bringing curses upon the people.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, "the practice of ritual killing and human sacrifice" continues to take place despite the illegality. In the 21st century, Uganda, Mozambique, and Mali, have practices documented in media reports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Igwe</span> Nigerian human rights activist (born 1970)

Leo Igwe is a Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist. Igwe is a former Western and Southern African representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and has specialized in campaigning against and documenting the impacts of child witchcraft accusations. He holds a Ph.D. from the Bayreuth International School of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth in Germany, having earned a graduate degree in philosophy from the University of Calabar, in Nigeria. Igwe's human rights advocacy has brought him into conflict with high-profile witchcraft believers, such as Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, because of his criticism of what he describes as their role in the violence and child abandonment that sometimes result from accusations of witchcraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch camp</span> Segregated settlements in Ghana

Witch camps are settlements where women in Ghana who have been accused of being witches can flee for safety. Women in such camps have been accused of witchcraft for various reasons, including mental illness. Some camps are thought to have been created in the early 20th century. The Ghanaian government has enacted measures to eliminate such camps.

Kindoki is thought by its believers to be a kind of witchcraft or possession by evil spirits. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo and among Congolese immigrants in Europe, this belief is responsible for acts of child abandonment and ritual abuse of adults and children who were thought to have fallen victim to kindoki.

Witch hunts are a contemporary phenomenon occurring globally, with notable occurrences in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea. Modern witch hunts surpass the body counts of early-modern witch-hunting. Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria, experiences a high prevalence of witch-hunting. In Cameroon, accusations have resurfaced in courts, often involving child-witchcraft scares. Gambia witnessed government-sponsored witch hunts, leading to abductions, forced confessions, and deaths.

The witch trials in Connecticut, also sometimes referred to as the Hartford witch trials, occurred from 1647 to 1663. They were the first large-scale witch trials in the American colonies, predating the Salem Witch Trials by nearly thirty years. John M. Taylor lists a total of 37 cases, 11 of which resulted in executions. The execution of Alse Young of Windsor in the spring of 1647 was the beginning of the witch panic in the area, which would not come to an end until 1670 with the release of Katherine Harrison.

<i>End of the Wicked</i> 1999 Nigerian horror film

End Of The Wicked is a 1999 Nigerian horror film directed by Teco Benson and written by Helen Ukpabio. The film was blamed for a rise in witchcraft accusations against children in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Witch hunts are still occurring in Nepal in the twenty-first century, and the persecution of marginalised individuals of the community, especially women, still persists. Witchcraft is believed to be the exercise of supernatural powers by witches. Although Nepal does not have a recorded history of systematic witch-hunts, belief in the supernatural, magic, and humans capable of exploiting both to do good or harm is pervasive. In many instances, witch-hunts are simply tribal scapegoating measures carried out to serve ulterior motives, such as getting revenge or winning property disputes.

Witchcraft is deeply rooted in many African countries and communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been specifically relevant to Ghana's culture, beliefs, and lifestyle. It continues to shape lives daily and with that it has promoted tradition, fear, violence, and spiritual beliefs. The perceptions on witchcraft change from region to region within Ghana, as well as in other countries in Africa. The commonality is that it is not something to take lightly, and the word spreads fast if there are rumors' surrounding civilians practicing it. The actions taken by local citizens and the government towards witchcraft and violence related to it have also varied within regions in Ghana. Traditional African religions have depicted the universe as a multitude of spirits that are able to be used for good or evil through religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witchcraft in Africa</span> Beliefs about witchcraft in Africa

In Africa, witchcraft refers to various beliefs and practices. These beliefs often play a significant role in shaping social dynamics and can influence how communities address challenges and seek spiritual assistance. Much of what "witchcraft" represents in Africa has been susceptible to misunderstandings and confusion, due to a tendency among western scholars to approach the subject through a comparative lens vis-a-vis European witchcraft. The definition of "witchcraft" can differ between Africans and Europeans which causes misunderstandings of African conjure practices among Europeans. For example, the Maka people of Cameroon believe in an occult force known as djambe, that dwells inside a person. It is often translated as "witchcraft" or "sorcery", but it has a broader meaning that encompasses supernatural harm, healing and shapeshifting; this highlights the problem of using European terms for African concepts.

References

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  2. ↑ "Saving Witches in Kolwezi". Christianity Today. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  3. ↑ "Publications: Supporting Victims of Witchcraft Abuse and Street Children in Nigeria". HumanTrafficking.org. Archived from the original on 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reidel, Felix (2012). "Children in African Witch-Hunts: An Introduction for Scientists and Social Workers" (PDF). www.whrin.org. Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Africa: Child witchcraft allegations on the rise". Yubanet.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  6. 1 2 "Children Accused of Witchcraft : An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa" (PDF). Unicef.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  7. ↑ Bussien, Nathaly et al. 2011. Breaking the spell: Responding to witchcraft accusations against children, in New Issues in refugee Research (197). Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR
  8. ↑ Cimpric, Aleksandra 2010. Children accused of witchcraft, An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa. Dakar, Senegal: UNICEF WCARO
  9. ↑ Molina, Javier Aguilar 2006. The Invention of Child Witches in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Social cleansing, religious commerce and the difficulties of being a parent in an urban culture. London: Save the Children
  10. ↑ Human Rights Watch 2006. Children in the DRC. Human Rights Watch report, 18 (2)
  11. ↑ Mbiti, John 1975. Introduction to African Religion (2nd rev. ed.). Oxford: Heinemann: 117-118, 165.
  12. ↑ Moreau, A. Scott 1990. The World of the spirits: A Bible study in the African context. Nairobi:Evangel, p. 116.
  13. ↑ "BBC News - Malawi plea to free convicted 'witches'". Bbc.co.uk. 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  14. ↑ "Hunting the vulnerable: Witchcraft and the law in Malawi". Consultancyafrica.com. 2011-06-16. Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  15. ↑ Goliat, Aubrey J, Frank B. Phiri and Erwin van der Meer 2010. Preliminary findings on the problem of Child Witchcraft Accusations in Malawi. Blantyre, Malawi: Africa Outreach.
  16. 1 2 "Dispatches - Saving Africa's Witch Children". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  17. ↑ "Angola witchcraft's child victims". 2005-07-13. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  18. ↑ Salopek, Paul. "Children in Angola tortured as witches". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  19. ↑ "Children victims of witchcraft accusations". IRIN newsletter. January 24, 2004. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  20. 1 2 Karimi, Faith. "Abuse of child 'witches' on rise, aid group says". CNN. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  21. ↑ Rice, Xan (2009-03-19). "Gambian state kidnaps 1,000 villagers in mass purge of 'witchcraft'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  22. 1 2 3 Jubilee Campaign and Kyampisi Childcare Ministries. (2011) "Child Sacrifice in Uganda - report"
  23. ↑ Rogers, C (2011). "Where child sacrifice is a business" BBC News Africa (11 October).
  24. ↑ Tracy McVeigh (9 December 2007). "Children are targets of Nigerian witch hunt". The Observer.
  25. ↑ "Lost childhoods: Nigeria's fear of 'witchcraft' ruins young lives". Al Jazeera. 14 November 2018.
  26. 1 2 Robbins, Martin (January 11, 2011). "The dangerous fight for the 'child witches' of Nigeria". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Nigerian 'witch boy' Hope 'happy', 'healthy' a year after being rescued from streets". ABC News (Australia) . 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  28. ↑ Zaimov, Stoyan (October 10, 2014). "Ebola Children Survivors Accused of Witchcraft, Black Magic in West Africa". The Christian Post. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  29. ↑ Gittins, Anthony J. (1987). "Mende Religion. Aspects of Belief and Thought in Sierra Leone". Studia Instituti Anthropos. 41: 200.
  30. ↑ CONGO RELATIVES ACCUSING KIDS OF WITCHCRAFT :[ALL Edition]. (2006, August 30). The Augusta Chronicle , p. A11. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from ProQuest NewsStand database. (Document ID: 1116345621).
  31. 1 2 Petros, Gezahegn (2000). The Karo of the lower Omo Valley: subsistence, social organisation and relations with neighbouring groups. Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Administration, Addis Ababa University. p. 57.
  32. ↑ Strecker, Ivo. Do the Hamar have a Concept of Honor? Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine , University of Mainz,
  33. ↑ "Films for the Humanities and Sciences - Educational Media - The Hamar and Karo Tribes: The Search for Mingi". 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  34. ↑ Taboo, Episode 2: Skin Deep, National Geographic. Video.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
  35. ↑ LaPlante, Matthew D. (2011-05-11) Is the tide turning against the killing of 'cursed' infants in Ethiopia? CNN
  36. ↑ "[The Hamar] believe that evil and bad luck (mingi) exists in certain unholy or impure things. Twins, a child born out of wedlock, a child born with a cleft lip or palate, and children, whose upper milk teeth come before their lower ones, are considered to possess 'mingi and for this reason, they are thrown into the forest to die". Southourethiopia.com. Retrieved 2016-12-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  37. ↑ Emnet's Story... ebenezerethiopia.blogspot.com (2010-01-03)
  38. ↑ "Current Projects | What We Do". Steppingstonesnigeria.org. Archived from the original on 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  39. ↑ Lafraniere, Sharon (2007-11-15). "African Crucible - Cast as Witches, Then Cast Out". The New York Times . Angola;Congo (Formerly Zaire);Congo Republic. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  40. ↑ "What we do". Across-outreach.org. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  41. ↑ "Welcome to Africa Outreach Christian Mission". Africa-outreach.com. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  42. ↑ Van Der Meer, Erwin (June 2013). "Child witchcraft accusations in Southern Malawi" (PDF). The Australasian Review of African Studies. 34 (1): 129–144.
  43. ↑ Van Der Meer, Erwin (June 2013). "Child witchcraft accusations in Southern Malawi" (PDF). The Australasian Review of African Studies. 34 (1): 138ff.
  44. ↑ Igwe, Leo (July–August 2020). "New Campaign Fights Accusations of Witchcraft in Africa amid COVID-19". Skeptical Inquirer . Vol. 44, no. 4. Amherst, New York: Center for Inquiry. pp. 5–6.
  45. ↑ Ruickbie, Leo, 'Child Witches: From Imaginary Cannibalism to Ritual Abuse', Paranthropology, 3.3 (July 2012), pp. 13-21.
  46. ↑ "ABUSE LINKED TO A BELIEF IN SPIRIT POSESSION[sic]/WITCHCRAFT – PRACTICE GUIDANCE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS" (PDF). August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-25. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
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