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In the Democratic Republic of the Congo nearly 50,000 children live on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital, because they were accused of witchcraft and rejected by their families. In Nigeria, the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network reports that nearly 25,000 children have been abandoned or persecuted on the belief they were witches or wizards.
Organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund, Africa Unite Against Child Abuse, and Save the Children have stepped in where they could to stop the witch-hunt. But the phenomenon of “witch children” is so widespread throughout Africa these organizations have set up “witch camps” as shelters for children who cannot be safely placed with a relative.
Throughout history, people described as witches have been tortured, persecuted, and even murdered. And it is usually society’s most vulnerable who are targeted.
With the HIV/AIDS epidemic leaving many children orphaned, and rampant poverty ensuing from crop failure and decade-
Child Witches
This Halloween, many American children will dress up as witches. And we’ll hear their laughter and see their smiles as they joyfully go from door to door trick-or-treating.
But in some places across the globe and here, children would never pretend to be witches because the consequences are not only dire but they can also be deadly.
For example, nine-year-old Nwanaokwo Edet of Nigeria was accused of being a witch by the family pastor. Nwanaokwo’s father forced acid down his throat as an exorcism, burning away his face and eyes. Nwanaokwo died a month later.
And, eight-year-old Shilua Salifu of Ghana now lives with her grandmother after being accused of being a witch. Shilua’s mother tried to saw off the top of her skull to let the demons fly away.
Tags: child witches
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