Project Location: pan-London
Project Contact: Justin Bahunga, Policy and Network Development Officer
Project Funders: Trust for London

Project Background

AFRUCA has been very actively at the forefront of efforts to influence change at the policy and regulatory levels in order to address the terrible phenomenon of the branding of children as witches or as possessed by evil spirits. Our efforts have directly influenced the establishment of a National Working Group by the Children's Minister Tim Loughton to help put in place strategies to deal with the problem. The Minister said:

"I am grateful to you for suggesting the roundtable and for your presentation on the day, which set the scene so effectively for a good discussion of the issues."

 The branding of children as witches is indeed a growing problem in the UK and agencies nation-wide are increasingly coming across cases involving children of African origin experiencing extreme forms of abuse following accusations of witchcraft. To be called a witch in the African context presupposes that the person is an evil person, responsible for wicked acts and causing untold suffering and distress on other people, even killing people. Once a child has been diagnosed or identified as a witch, a catalogue of abusive actions follows in response to what people believe is a way of countering evil. The form of abuse experienced is usually two-fold:

1. Within Families and in the community

This involves:

• The subsequent psychological and emotional abuse experienced in the form of verbal abuse, curses, and the knowledge that one is hated by everyone because one is a witch. The self torture that follows the belief that one is a witch responsible for wicked acts on people.
• Physical abuse – to beat the devil out, but also to punish. Includes beating with heavy implements, stamping on stomachs, kicking, punching, starving in the form of fasting. This can go on for days on end.
• Neglect. Isolation from others. Lack of care, attention, including medical attention. Sometimes children miss education or are not able to concentrate at school because of the abuses highlighted above
• Sexual Abuse. In some cases, the isolation makes victims prone to additional sexual abuse in the hands of opportunists, since no one cares what happens to them.

2. Within Faith Organisations

Even though accusations of witchcraft are borne out of cultural beliefs, most Africans who are Christians believe the church has the best answer to solving this problem. Churches themselves see the issue of witchcraft and demonisation as borne out of evil as highlighted in the Bible, and carry out different forms of exorcism rites to rid the child’s body of the evil which has possessed it.

In many instances, the accusation of witchcraft is made by the church (i.e. Pastor) who also professes solutions to this. This is usually in the form of deliverance or exorcism by the pastor or other high ranking members of the church.

Child Abuse linked to witchcraft can occur in some churches in different ways:

• Once a child is branded by the pastor, everyone else believes this is the case. There is therefore the risk of all the forms of abuse identified above occurring, not necessarily perpetrated by the church, but sanctioned by it. Branding a child as a witch gives the lee-way for abuse
• The church might practice abusive exorcism rites on the child which can cause extreme harm and suffering and even lead to death.
• Once a child is branded as a witch, only the pastor can “deliver” that child. This means that the stigma of witchcraft stays until that child is “healed” or “delivered”.
• If the pastor is unable to deliver that child, then the stigma remains forever. In some extreme instances, the pastor can prescribe death as the only way out. This has been known to happen in some churches.

Children Accused of Witchcraft

In the past, the following groups of children have been accused of witchcraft or of being possessed by the devil. This list is not exhaustive:

• Children with disability including autism, epilepsy, downs syndrome, dyslexia etc
• Children living away from home in private fostering situations as well as in domestic servitude situations
• Children living with a step parent, with one of the natural parents absent or dead
• Children whose parents have been diagnosed as witches
• Children who are “naughty” or have challenging behaviour

Effects of Being Branded

The diagnosis of witchcraft is not based on any scientific or medical evidence. There is no known method of proving a child is a witch apart from the words of a Pastor or other people. There is no method – scientific or not - of proving that a child diagnosed as a witch is responsible for harming people in any way. These are all beliefs which cannot be proven. However, despite this, the impact of being diagnosed as a witch can be devastating for the child involved.

• The fate of children with disability is worthy of serious concern. The abuse involved in diagnosing a disabled child as “possessed” can be very distressing and devastating both for the child as well as his or her family.
• The accusation of witchcraft is a serious violation of the rights of the child in question. Their welfare and well-being is compromised and their life chances reduced.
• The child’s ability to fully experience education is compromised leading to low educational achievement and attainment.
• There are long term effects of being diagnosed. These include mental health problems, depression as well as other health problems
• There are long term effects of a child experiencing extreme exorcism rites. These include post traumatic stress disorder, depression, being suicidal.
• In some known instances, children have been killed through being diagnosed as witches.
• In many African countries, children diagnosed or branded as witches are ejected from the family home. As street children, they become vulnerable to all forms of abuse and harm. Many victims also become vulnerable to child trafficking for various purposes.

AFRUCA's Campaign for a New Law to Address the branding of Children as Witches

AFRUCA believes it is essential that action is taken to protect children by shifting the point where abuse occurs to the point of labelling and branding. Nowhere in UK law is the link between child branding and incitement to harm made. While guardians, parents and carers have been prosecuted for harming children following labelling by - for example, a faith leader - it is quite chilling to know that those who initiated the process of abuse via branding have remained out of the reach of the law. We therefore believe it is vital that legislation is brought forward to bridge this gap.

What AFRUCA wants the law to do?

AFRUCA proposes that the following five elements be part of the law:

• Make it an offence for anyone to call a child a witch or describe a child as possessed by the devil
• Make it an offence for anyone to carry out any form of ritual or exorcism rite on a child because they are a witch
• Make it an offence to force a child to fast because they are a witch
• Make it an offence to send a child outside the UK (including other European countries) to be exorcised because they are a witch
• Make it an offence to send a child abroad to be prayed for to die or be killed because they are a witch.

AFRUCA’s Position

AFRUCA believes there is no justification for diagnosing children as witches. The scape-goating of children and the abusive exorcism rites that is performed on them as such is a violation of their rights. Our position on this is therefore as follows:

• Culture and religion should never be a reason for child abuse
• The diagnosis of a child as a witch and the performance of exorcism rites on that child lead to physical, emotional and mental abuse which cannot be justified in any way or form.
• It is inconceivable that a child’s life can be totally ruined based on the diagnosis of witchcraft by one person
• We are very concerned about the category of children who are at risk of being scape-goated as witches. These are children living in environments where they are already very vulnerable to abuse or children who are already in abusive situations and where love and affection is lacking.
• It is crucial that efforts are made at the macro level to protect vulnerable children from further abuse through accusations of witchcraft.
• A law to stop children being diagnosed as possessed or as witches is necessary to safeguard vulnerable children from long term abuse, harm and even death.

What AFRUCA is doing to alleviate and prevent abuse linked to spirit possession and witchcraft?

• While AFRUCA has been campaigning for a law to criminalise branding children as witches, it has also taken other approaches and developed projects to reduce conditions that lead to faith based abuse and to empower service providers to identify and support victims and families. In this regard AFRUCA has been engaging the following stakeholders: African communities, families and practitioners.
• The work with the African community has consisted of awareness raising on laws and regulations on child protection. Through our Safeguarding African Children Network, we have been working with community and faith groups to highlight the issue and the dangers posed to children.
• AFRUCA works directly with affected families to provide advice on related issues or referral to specialised services. We have also worked with victims of child trafficking where victims were made to undertake oath rituals before being trafficked into the UK. Such victims require intensive support to enable them break free from their traffickers.
• Work with practitioners has consisted of in-depth, specialist training on religious and cultural practices so that they gain the skills and confidence to support families where there are concerns of faith based abuse. Our training courses have also led to practitioners confidently challenging the practices in their places of work.
• We provide advice and consultancy to agencies in the UK and other European countries on issues of faith based abuse. Expert advice for family and criminal courts has led to convictions of those responsible for faith based abuse and for safeguarding vulnerable children.
• Through our membership of the new National Working Group on Witchcraft, Religion and Safeguarding Children, we intend to push for more action to ensure children can be protected from this form of abuse. 
• We have produced publications that help to educate not only professionals but also members of our community on the issue of witchcraft abuse. Our publications are available in English and French in order to make the information accessible to a great number of people especially those whose first language is not English. Our “What is Witchcraft Abuse” publication provides information on what constitutes witchcraft abuse, the indicators to be aware of and what individuals, organisations and communities can do to combat it.
• We are now urgently seeking the funds to established a support programme for families where there has been an accusation of witchcraft. This will enable families to deal positively with the issue while safeguarding the rights and welfare of children in the process.

One of the highlights of the campaign for change in policy and the law to enable better protection for children at risk of being branded as witches in the recent past was an event at the House of Commons in April 2012 which was hosted by Chuka Ummuna MP and attracted 100 delegates. It was also attended among others by the Minister for Children and Families Tim Loughton MP, the Shadow Minister for Children, Catherine Mckinnell MP, Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select committee and Meg Hillier MP, Member of Parliament for Hackney South and Shoreditch.

Some of the key outcomes included;

• Keith Vaz MP, chair of the Home Select Committee is looking into launching a Public Inquiry into the branding of children as witches.

• Meg Hillier MP and former Children's Minister will be calling for an adjournment debate at the House to discuss the branding of children as witches. We are working closely with her on this.

• Catherine Mckinnell MP, Shadow Children's Minister  is going to see how this issue is progressed especially through the provision of better resources for community organisations working on the branding of children as witches AFRUCA and some Religious and Ethnic channels on Sky TV to discuss how their programming can be more "child-friendly".

•  Chuka Umunna is hosting a meeting between AFRUCA and some Religious and Ethnic channels on Sky TV to discuss how their programming can be more "child-friendly".

To read more about AFRUCA's Proposal for policy and regulatory changes to protect children branded as witches, click here

To read AFRUCA's publication: "What is Witchcraft Abuse?", click here