This Halloween, Remember Africa's 'Witch' Children
posted by: Steve W. 33 days ago
Halloween is great holiday for kids and adults alike, where you can go to parties, indulge in sweet treats and even dress up as your favorite ghosts and goblins. But this Halloween, imagine if, as a child, you were accused of being the reason for all your family's ills, branded a monster, and had one of the following happen to you:
For children across Africa that are labeled as child witches, this could be a daily reality. And it's not a costume they can take off. When you're branded as a witch in Africa, that's a curse for life.
But why is this happening?
Charity SOS Children's Villages released an article on how the child witch accusations start, saying (emphasis mine):
Certain members of Africa's religious community are also to blame. There are so-called evangelical pastors who are profiting from carrying out "exorcisms". Let's be clear, they're not representing Christianity. They are exploiting the impoverished, the sick and the desperate.
Here is an ABC News Report on the disturbing practice of profiteering that goes on using the lie of child witches. Please be aware, this report contains upsetting scenes:
If you would like to see the full ABC News Investigation, please go here for part 1, and here for part 2.
Stepping Stones Nigeria, an organization that attempts to halt the child witch branding phenomena and to help care for those that are abandoned, says the causes of this relatively new practice are a mix of factors, but supports the idea that extreme poverty is one of the main reasons for branding children as witches – simply by disowning a child in this way and severing all ties, it is one less mouth to feed. A horrible truth.
The practice of child witch denunciation has now become so serious that reports have emerged alleging that children are being recorded while "confessing" to witchcraft, and that those confessions are being broadcast on evangelical television channels.
There have been special "witch camps" set-up in such places as Eket in Akwa Ibom state, that take in orphaned children. But, why is the situation escalating? An article from the Associated Press sheds some light:
It seems there are certain factions of African society that are turning this harmful, mutilating and traumatizing practice of child witch branding into a kind of business. And what about those children that are not fortunate enough to be taken into the "witch camps"?
They are left to wander the streets, alone and vulnerable. If no one intervenes, this situation may only get worse. Yet, there are human rights charities working to stop this awful practice, such as the aforementioned group Stepping Stones Nigeria and the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network.
But they face growing opposition. For instance, members of the Nigerian police-force have been known to side with pastors who say that a particular child is "evil" or a "witch", preventing international organizations from intervening. That is why your voice is vital in letting Africa's authorities know that the practice of child witch branding is unacceptable.
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Resources:
- You were stabbed in the head with a nail by your own mother.
- You were forced to bathe in acid.
- You were buried alive.
- You were taken to the local pastor to be "exorcised" and made to drink bleach as part of the "cleansing" ritual.
- You were thrown out of your home after being accused of stealing your brother or sister's blood so you can fly at night and poison the land.
For children across Africa that are labeled as child witches, this could be a daily reality. And it's not a costume they can take off. When you're branded as a witch in Africa, that's a curse for life.
But why is this happening?
Charity SOS Children's Villages released an article on how the child witch accusations start, saying (emphasis mine):
Campaigners say about 15,000 children have been accused in two of Nigeria's 36 states over the past decade and about 1,000 have been murdered. In the past month alone, three Nigerian children accused of witchcraft were killed and another three were set on fire. The families of these children are often extremely poor, and sometimes even relieved to have one less mouth to feed, said Martin Dawes, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund. Eight out of 10 Nigerians struggle by on less than $2 a day. "When communities come under pressure, they look for scapegoats," he said. "It plays into traditional beliefs that someone is responsible for a negative change ... and children are defenceless."
Certain members of Africa's religious community are also to blame. There are so-called evangelical pastors who are profiting from carrying out "exorcisms". Let's be clear, they're not representing Christianity. They are exploiting the impoverished, the sick and the desperate.
Here is an ABC News Report on the disturbing practice of profiteering that goes on using the lie of child witches. Please be aware, this report contains upsetting scenes:
If you would like to see the full ABC News Investigation, please go here for part 1, and here for part 2.
Stepping Stones Nigeria, an organization that attempts to halt the child witch branding phenomena and to help care for those that are abandoned, says the causes of this relatively new practice are a mix of factors, but supports the idea that extreme poverty is one of the main reasons for branding children as witches – simply by disowning a child in this way and severing all ties, it is one less mouth to feed. A horrible truth.
The practice of child witch denunciation has now become so serious that reports have emerged alleging that children are being recorded while "confessing" to witchcraft, and that those confessions are being broadcast on evangelical television channels.
There have been special "witch camps" set-up in such places as Eket in Akwa Ibom state, that take in orphaned children. But, why is the situation escalating? An article from the Associated Press sheds some light:
"Even churches who didn't use to 'find' child witches are being forced into it," said Mr Itauma. "They are seen as spiritually powerful because they can detect witchcraft and the parents may even pay them money for an exorcism."
It seems there are certain factions of African society that are turning this harmful, mutilating and traumatizing practice of child witch branding into a kind of business. And what about those children that are not fortunate enough to be taken into the "witch camps"?
They are left to wander the streets, alone and vulnerable. If no one intervenes, this situation may only get worse. Yet, there are human rights charities working to stop this awful practice, such as the aforementioned group Stepping Stones Nigeria and the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network.
But they face growing opposition. For instance, members of the Nigerian police-force have been known to side with pastors who say that a particular child is "evil" or a "witch", preventing international organizations from intervening. That is why your voice is vital in letting Africa's authorities know that the practice of child witch branding is unacceptable.
Sign These Care2 Actions:
Resources:
- Get up-to-date information on the work of Stepping Stones Nigeria here.
- Watch an interview with children that have been the victims of witch-hunts.
Read more: poverty, human rights, international human rights, africa human rights, childrens rights, witch children, child cruelty, child poverty
comments
I have been advocating for these children for 2 years and have set up a petition http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-liberty-foundation-gospel-ministries-from-hurting-anymore-precious-children-for-money
I was also nominated for "The most Outstanding Online Advocate of Child's Right of the Year 2008" Award.
I've cried and lost sleep because of the horrible things I have read, pictures and stories of the precious children that Sam Itauma president of Child's Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) sends me.
This needs to stop! I can't understand why someone that is supposed to be trusted causes so much harm to these children and why money is more important to them than the the lives of the children.
If you would like to find out more follow this link http://childwitches.blogspot.com/
Thank you for writing this article Steve.
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its hard to imagine that anyone could be that desperate = (
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Being an actual witch, I'm beyond angry at how these children are being abused. Wicca is a Craft of love, not hate. May Goddess be with all these children and protect them from the monsters that are abusing them. And, for the record, how dare they accuse witches of being evil when they are the ones abusing children?
Thanks for the alert! I did an article myself on Squidoo about these abused little ones. How anyone could even use the excuse of poverty is appaling.
But don't be foolish and blame the religion. Plenty of godless people do the same things to "threats" to the community.
These leaders would do the same thing in any society. The names of the victims might change from "witch" to "rebel" or like Crystal pointed out "gay", but the result would be the same.
The commies burned, raped, and killed plenty of folks and I don't recall them having a God.
Besides which do you believe these are God-fearing men? No one believing in any real loviong God/dess would do this.
Clearly these folks don't expect Divine Punishment any time soon.
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Lisa Marie it's wonderful to hear you say that.it's been a while since i had a lil bro but i think he'd like what you said also . thank you so much ,you got me to slow down and think rather than just shoot from the hip!! thank you !
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Paige Cater said it best, "If God existed, why is he allowing this to happen?"
I sincerely apperiated this question. It starts with a little thing called freewill. When God set up the system in the Garden of Eden freewill was set up. If God takes away their right to do evil He also takes our right to do good. Unfortantly you can't have one without the other.
I would begin by one asking this parent who was accusing the children, "Why don't have control of your children." (These children are innocent and I'm just curious as to what these parents have to say,)
These reglious parties are the same reason that Jesus turn over the tables of the money changers. They are lining their pockets while children are suffering. The New Testament say that it would be better that a millstone be hung around these parties neck than any harm be done to these little ones.
The rest of the Christian has to take the blame because of folks like them.
These parents are just as wrong. They don't want to care of these children and if they can get rid of them they will. The stepmother is the film was nothing more that diabolical. As far as I'm concerned she is the one that is the witch.
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"Education, education, education. This the only solution for this type of behavior."
But are the willing to learn? That's the major question and challenge.
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Education, education, education. This the only solution for this type of behavior.
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Just when you think you've heard it all, something more crazy comes along. Why is it that it seems to be open season on kids (world wide). It's hard to believe people actually believe kids (or anyone) can drink blood and fly around at night. How do you fight this kind of ignorance???
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If God existed, why is he allowing this to happen?
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Yes this is sick, but what i9s to be expected from a religion that has no basis in reality, it is based on fairy tales and yet people are amazed when the practioners act barbaricly, this is the way the church has functioned through its history, only in the past 100 yearts havs the church shown some control over their mentaly ill, but with the rise of the religious right in this country and our unwillingness to demand our government control extremist fundamentalists that threaten the peace and well being of not just our country but the world.
And it doesn't matter whether their muslim, christian or jewish, all fundamentalists are capable of being turned into these monsters simply because they don't have the willingness to question their leaders when they are told to have faith, thats all a preacher or preist has to say to get them to stop asking questions about what they have been told, and this is the cause of this kind of behavior.
the nonsense that anyone can believe whatever they want is why we have problems like this and all types of perverts and theives in this world.
Religion can not be the compass for morality, because religion has no morality, read the bible, the death of non believers is demanded through out the old testament, and the catholic church made sure that sentiment was carried through to christianity
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Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to hdptcar.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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