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'''Witch Children in Africa''' ...
'''Witch Children in Africa''' ...


Witchcraft allegations against children in Africa have received increasing international attention in recent years. Reports by missionaries and anthropologists, journalists and activists in the first decade of the 21st century have brought this growing phenomenon to the attention of the world<ref>ICN 2009. Independent Catholic News. Angola: Papal envoy calls for end to witch child accusations (July 28, 2009): http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=14678; IRIN 2001. Africa: Child witchcraft allegations on the rise. Accused children end up being attacked, burned, beaten, and sometimes killed (Jul 17, 2010): http://yubanet.com/world/Africa-Child-witchcraft-allegations-on-the-rise.php; Phiri, Isaac 2009. Saving Witches in Kolwezi: Accused of witchcraft by parents and churches, children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being rescued by Christian activists. In Christianity Today, (September 2009): http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/september/27.62.html. Stepping Stones Nigeria 2007. Supporting Victims of Witchcraft Abuse and Street Children in Nigeria: http://www.humantrafficking.org/publications/593. Van der Meer, Erwin 2011. The Problem of Witchcraft in Malawi, Evangelical Missions Quarterly (47:1, January): 78-85.</ref>. Recent reports by UNICEF, UNHCR, Save The Children and Human Rights watch<ref>Bussien, Nathaly et al. 2011. Breaking the spell: Responding to witchcraft accusations against children, in New Issues in refugee Research (197). Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR; Cimpric, Aleksandra 2010. Children accused of witchcraft, An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa. Dakar, Senegal: UNICEF WCARO. 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; Human Rights Watch 2006. Children in the DRC. Human Rights Watch report, 18 (2).</ref> have also highlighted the violence and abuse towards children accused of witchcraft in Africa. Accusations of witchcraft in Africa have very serious consequences as the witch is seen as the epitome of evil and the cause of all misfortune, disease and death and consequently the witch is the most hated person in African society and subjected to punishment, torture even death.<ref>Mbiti, John 1975. Introduction to African Religion (2nd rev. ed.). Oxford: Heinemann: 117-118, 165.</ref> The victims of witchcraft accusations in African society have usually been the elderly, the disabled, albinos and anyone who was considered different.<ref>BBC News 2010. Malawi plea to free convicted 'witches'. BBC Africa (13 October): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11535155; Byrne, Carrie 2011. Hunting the vulnerable: Witchcraft and the law in Malawi; Consultancy Africa Intelligence (16 June): http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=783:hunting-the-vulnerable-witchcraft-and-the-law-in-malawi&catid=91:rights-in-focus&Itemid=296; 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.</ref> In recent years due to the impact of rapid urbanisation, economic decline as well as the HIV/AIDS pandemic orphaned children have become more and more the victims of witchcraft accusations. Child victims of witchcraft accusations are more vulnerable than adult victims as they cannot defend themselves and face physical and psychological abuse from their family and community. Often they are subjected to violent exorcism rituals which may include incarceration, starvation and being made to drink hazardous substances. In other cases the children expelled and end up living on the streets, are trafficked and in some instances they are killed.<ref>See ref. 2</ref> Interventions until date have been very limited and localised such as the safe houses run by Stepping Stones Nigeria and their partners in Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria, by Bishop Emilio Sumbelelo of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Angola, and by Africa Outreach in Malawi.<ref> Stepping Stones Nigeria 2011. Current Projects (accessed 4 October 2011): http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/current-projects.html; LaFraniere, Sharon 2007. African Children Falsely Accused of Witchcraft: African Crucible: Cast as Witches, Then Cast Out, New York Times (November 15): http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/world/africa/15witches.html; www.across-outreach.com; www.africa-outreach.com</ref> Nevertheless global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa seems to be growing evidenced by the above mentioned UNICEF and UNHCR reports. It is expected that increased global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa will translate in more initiatives to assist the victims and to address the underlying problems by means of grass-roots awareness and prevention campaigns.
Witchcraft allegations against children in Africa have received increasing international attention in recent years. Reports by missionaries and anthropologists, journalists and activists in the first decade of the 21st century have brought this growing phenomenon to the attention of the world<ref>ICN 2009. Independent Catholic News. Angola: Papal envoy calls for end to witch child accusations (July 28, 2009): http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=14678; IRIN 2001. Africa: Child witchcraft allegations on the rise. Accused children end up being attacked, burned, beaten, and sometimes killed (Jul 17, 2010): http://yubanet.com/world/Africa-Child-witchcraft-allegations-on-the-rise.php; Phiri, Isaac 2009. Saving Witches in Kolwezi: Accused of witchcraft by parents and churches, children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being rescued by Christian activists. In Christianity Today, (September 2009): http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/september/27.62.html. Stepping Stones Nigeria 2007. Supporting Victims of Witchcraft Abuse and Street Children in Nigeria: http://www.humantrafficking.org/publications/593. Van der Meer, Erwin 2011. The Problem of Witchcraft in Malawi, Evangelical Missions Quarterly (47:1, January): 78-85.</ref>. Recent reports by UNICEF, UNHCR, Save The Children and Human Rights watch<ref>Bussien, Nathaly et al. 2011. Breaking the spell: Responding to witchcraft accusations against children, in New Issues in refugee Research (197). Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR; Cimpric, Aleksandra 2010. Children accused of witchcraft, An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa. Dakar, Senegal: UNICEF WCARO. 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; Human Rights Watch 2006. Children in the DRC. Human Rights Watch report, 18 (2).</ref> have also highlighted the violence and abuse towards children accused of witchcraft in Africa. Accusations of witchcraft in Africa have very serious consequences as the witch is seen as the epitome of evil and the cause of all misfortune, disease and death and consequently the witch is the most hated person in African society and subjected to punishment, torture even death.<ref>Mbiti, John 1975. Introduction to African Religion (2nd rev. ed.). Oxford: Heinemann: 117-118, 165.</ref> The victims of witchcraft accusations in African society have usually been the elderly, the disabled, albinos and anyone who was considered different.<ref>BBC News 2010. Malawi plea to free convicted 'witches'. BBC Africa (13 October): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11535155; Byrne, Carrie 2011. Hunting the vulnerable: Witchcraft and the law in Malawi; Consultancy Africa Intelligence (16 June): http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=783:hunting-the-vulnerable-witchcraft-and-the-law-in-malawi&catid=91:rights-in-focus&Itemid=296; 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.</ref> In recent years due to the impact of rapid urbanisation, economic decline as well as the HIV/AIDS pandemic orphaned children have become more and more the victims of witchcraft accusations. Child victims of witchcraft accusations are more vulnerable than adult victims as they cannot defend themselves and face physical and psychological abuse from their family and community. Often they are subjected to violent exorcism rituals which may include incarceration, starvation and being made to drink hazardous substances. In other cases the children expelled and end up living on the streets, are trafficked and in some instances they are killed.<ref>See ref. 2</ref> Interventions until date have been very limited and localised such as the safe houses run by Stepping Stones Nigeria and their partners in Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria, by Bishop Emilio Sumbelelo of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Angola, and by Africa Outreach in Malawi.<ref> Stepping Stones Nigeria 2011. Current Projects (accessed 4 October 2011): http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/current-projects.html; LaFraniere, Sharon 2007. African Children Falsely Accused of Witchcraft: African Crucible: Cast as Witches, Then Cast Out, New York Times (November 15): http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/world/africa/15witches.html; 2011 Across Outreach. What we do: http://www.across-outreach.org/What_we_do.html; Africa Outreach 2011, Boy-child victims of witchcraft stigmatization (september 27): http://www.africa-outreach.com</ref> Nevertheless global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa seems to be growing evidenced by the above mentioned UNICEF and UNHCR reports. It is expected that increased global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa will translate in more initiatives to assist the victims and to address the underlying problems by means of grass-roots awareness and prevention campaigns.




Revision as of 15:25, 5 October 2011


Witch Children in Africa ...

Witchcraft allegations against children in Africa have received increasing international attention in recent years. Reports by missionaries and anthropologists, journalists and activists in the first decade of the 21st century have brought this growing phenomenon to the attention of the world[1]. Recent reports by UNICEF, UNHCR, Save The Children and Human Rights watch[2] have also highlighted the violence and abuse towards children accused of witchcraft in Africa. Accusations of witchcraft in Africa have very serious consequences as the witch is seen as the epitome of evil and the cause of all misfortune, disease and death and consequently the witch is the most hated person in African society and subjected to punishment, torture even death.[3] The victims of witchcraft accusations in African society have usually been the elderly, the disabled, albinos and anyone who was considered different.[4] In recent years due to the impact of rapid urbanisation, economic decline as well as the HIV/AIDS pandemic orphaned children have become more and more the victims of witchcraft accusations. Child victims of witchcraft accusations are more vulnerable than adult victims as they cannot defend themselves and face physical and psychological abuse from their family and community. Often they are subjected to violent exorcism rituals which may include incarceration, starvation and being made to drink hazardous substances. In other cases the children expelled and end up living on the streets, are trafficked and in some instances they are killed.[5] Interventions until date have been very limited and localised such as the safe houses run by Stepping Stones Nigeria and their partners in Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria, by Bishop Emilio Sumbelelo of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Angola, and by Africa Outreach in Malawi.[6] Nevertheless global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa seems to be growing evidenced by the above mentioned UNICEF and UNHCR reports. It is expected that increased global awareness of the problem of child witchcraft accusations in Africa will translate in more initiatives to assist the victims and to address the underlying problems by means of grass-roots awareness and prevention campaigns.


References

  1. ^ ICN 2009. Independent Catholic News. Angola: Papal envoy calls for end to witch child accusations (July 28, 2009): http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=14678; IRIN 2001. Africa: Child witchcraft allegations on the rise. Accused children end up being attacked, burned, beaten, and sometimes killed (Jul 17, 2010): http://yubanet.com/world/Africa-Child-witchcraft-allegations-on-the-rise.php; Phiri, Isaac 2009. Saving Witches in Kolwezi: Accused of witchcraft by parents and churches, children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being rescued by Christian activists. In Christianity Today, (September 2009): http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/september/27.62.html. Stepping Stones Nigeria 2007. Supporting Victims of Witchcraft Abuse and Street Children in Nigeria: http://www.humantrafficking.org/publications/593. Van der Meer, Erwin 2011. The Problem of Witchcraft in Malawi, Evangelical Missions Quarterly (47:1, January): 78-85.
  2. ^ Bussien, Nathaly et al. 2011. Breaking the spell: Responding to witchcraft accusations against children, in New Issues in refugee Research (197). Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR; Cimpric, Aleksandra 2010. Children accused of witchcraft, An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa. Dakar, Senegal: UNICEF WCARO. 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; Human Rights Watch 2006. Children in the DRC. Human Rights Watch report, 18 (2).
  3. ^ Mbiti, John 1975. Introduction to African Religion (2nd rev. ed.). Oxford: Heinemann: 117-118, 165.
  4. ^ BBC News 2010. Malawi plea to free convicted 'witches'. BBC Africa (13 October): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11535155; Byrne, Carrie 2011. Hunting the vulnerable: Witchcraft and the law in Malawi; Consultancy Africa Intelligence (16 June): http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=783:hunting-the-vulnerable-witchcraft-and-the-law-in-malawi&catid=91:rights-in-focus&Itemid=296; 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.
  5. ^ See ref. 2
  6. ^ Stepping Stones Nigeria 2011. Current Projects (accessed 4 October 2011): http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/current-projects.html; LaFraniere, Sharon 2007. African Children Falsely Accused of Witchcraft: African Crucible: Cast as Witches, Then Cast Out, New York Times (November 15): http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/world/africa/15witches.html; 2011 Across Outreach. What we do: http://www.across-outreach.org/What_we_do.html; Africa Outreach 2011, Boy-child victims of witchcraft stigmatization (september 27): http://www.africa-outreach.com
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