Safeguarding children from witchcraft - we can’t afford for this to be a taboo subject - By Tina Pokuaah

 

Over the years we have and continue to have numerous reports of children being physically assaulted, poisoned and in some cases murdered regardless of the solid child protection policies in place. Perhaps it is the hidden and culturally sensitive nature of the phenomenon that has made it so difficult for authorities to deal effectively with these harmful accusations. However, one might ask ‘don’t all children have the right to be protected and safeguarded from harm?’ In response, I would argue that it is not acceptable to suggest that accusations and persecution of this phenomenon is limited to a particular culture. As history recalls, in many countries, including the UK, beliefs and practices in this phenomenon are a common feature (Koning, 2013).

 

What am I referring to, you may be asking? The branding of children as witches to be precise.

To unpack this safeguarding concern let us commence with understanding that witchcraft is widely believed to be a negative spiritual force that resides in people and dictates their behaviour. Unfortunately, this has resulted in millions of children across the world suffering from emotional and physical abuse as a means of ‘curing’ or ‘healing’ them from the supposed evil they possess. In England alone, a recent report found that almost 2,000 suspected victims were identified by authorities in 2018-19. However, experts believe that the real figure may be far higher than reported (Independent, 2019).

Moreover, a starting point to help understand the increasing number of victimised children is to explore the contributory factors, which although obscure and interrelated, can be divided into those relating to the perception of individual characteristics of the child, or wider societal matters and norms. For instance, individual characteristics have included personal characteristics of the child i.e. having a disability or challenging behaviour, bed wetting and constant nightmares. In contrast, societal issues have been reported to include cycles of poverty, sickness in the family, political and economic instability, as well as war.

The latter factors in particular, rather than being recognised as a result of life crisis are often justified as being a result of witchcraft.

Furthermore, since children are commonly considered to be the weakest and most vulnerable members of society, they become victims of ‘scapegoating’. Scapegoating is a key concept used to describe a person or group being unjustifiably blamed for the problems and misfortunes of others. Other seemingly outlandish and formulated traditional views include speaking or acting like an adult with superior intelligence, and behaving with a disrespectful attitude towards adults. Sadly, such harmful accusations of witchcraft often result in children being subjected to social rejection, discrimination, violence and death.

I must also bring to light how religion has become an important component in understanding the increase in accusations of witchcraft towards children. It is often argued that belief in and preaching on the existence of witchcraft has become a core tenet. There is some evidence that certain religious institutions primarily accuse children of witchcraft and take responsibility in performing exorcism or a deliverance ceremony. According to Davis (2010), religious leaders will prophesize to a family that their child is a witch, which has impacted on the family’s health, business and their economic prospects. Another concern is that already vulnerable families and children can become easy prey for some of these religious leaders who take advantage of their situation, as they are often paid large amounts of money to deliver these children from the possession of evil (BBC Branded a witch, 2013). Guardian (2012) reports that they can charge £500 for special oil that is supposedly able to ‘cure’ a child of witchcraft.  I am not attempting to create the impression that religion is the only driving force behind such abuse, as rightly noted by the Met Police, child abuse linked to faith or belief is not confined to one faith, nationality or ethnic community. Examples have been recorded across several religions including Christians, Muslims and Hindus, the force has shared (SKY News, 2022).

 

Over the years, accusations of witchcraft and the killing of children have received increased media attention in the UK. However, it was the case of Victoria Climbe, an 8-year-old girl who arrived from the Ivory Coast, abused and murdered by her relatives because of the belief that she was a witch, which received mass coverage in the UK. This case became a public inquiry, which highlighted the flaws in the system to protect and safeguard children. Another example of ritual abuse was that of a young 15-year-old boy identified as Kristy Bamu, who arrived in the UK from France. The young boy was tortured and murdered by his sister’s boyfriend after being accused of being possessed by evil spirits. The Guardian (2012) reported that he was tragically abused by having floor tiles smashed over his head, his teeth hit out with a hammer and pliers used to twist his ear, all of which was witnessed by his siblings who were forced to observe and take part in this tragic ordeal.

 

Moreover, concerns around the branding of children as witches worsened during the recent global pandemic with some of those who carry out rituals claiming that COVID is not real and informing the parents of children with symptoms of the virus that they are "possessed"(Sky, 2022). Despite such heart wrenching case studies, the lack of information and attention given to the phenomenon in the UK has resulted in little being done to encourage effective action by the police and justice system to address this issue thoroughly. Debbie Ariyo, executive director of Afruca (Africans Unite Against Child Abuse) highlights that whilst the law criminalises the physical abuse that occurs once a child is branded as a witch, what is missing is the act of branding a child as a witch - which is an incitement to harm.

 

It is without  doubt that more work needs to be done in terms of raising awareness and intervention on both a national and community level. This needs to involve communities, faith groups, academic, media and other stakeholders in the UK to create public awareness and promote behavioural change, but also to encourage a change in the underlying worldview and beliefs that contribute to the non-protection of children’s rights.