Report on Child Sacrifice in Uganda and the Church

Child Sacrifice and the Response of the Church in Uganda

30 December 2011

Introduction

The issue of child sacrifice in Uganda has been highlighted in the media over the past three years with ABC and BBC producing compelling documentaries. Also journalists for various media houses wrote about the issue. The media attention coincided with media campaigns by local Ugandan NGOs such as RACHO and ANPPCAN as well as faith based organisations such as Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM). An undercover BBC investigation made with the help of KCM shows witch doctors explaining how they can sacrifice a child and that they have done it many times before. These and other reports have put the government of Uganda under pressure and has resulted in the formation of an official government taskforce to deal with this evil in Ugandan society. Unfortunately, the taskforce consists of only one officer with a motorcycle and works without a proper budget. It appears that the gesture of the Ugandan government is more a matter of window dressing to avert local and international criticism than a genuine attempt to root out this evil.

Origins of Child Sacrifice

Human sacrifice is a common phenomenon in Sub-Sahara Africa (Akosah-Sarpong 2007; Kante 2004; Igwe 2010) as it is believed that human body parts have magical proportions, particularly the ‘life-giving’ genitals, the ‘life-sustaining’ blood, but also the heart and other body parts. Amulets, charms or traditional medicine made with such body parts are believed to make the wearer victorious in battle, provide protection against evil spirits or bad magic and/or provide health, long-life and prosperity. These beliefs are not uniform and among different tribes one may find different preferences such as the preference for albino body parts in Tanzania, Pygmee body parts in East-Congo and so on. Nevertheless, while such practices are reported throughout Sub-Sahara Africa in Uganda it has reached epidemic proportions. A scenario which given the right circumstances may be repeated in other parts of Africa as well.
While the media has been using the term child sacrifice, a better term would have been child ritual mutilations and child ritual killings. The term sacrifice suggests that a sacrifice is made to a spirit or deity which in most instances is not the case. People are ritually killed because of the belief that their body parts can provide protection, success, power, health and wealth. One could, however, argue that people are sacrificed to satisfy human greed and selfishness.

The Ugandan Context

Until a few years ago ritual killings happened occasionally in Uganda just as it does in many African countries and consequently the issue did not get much publicity. In recent years the gruesome discoveries of scores of mutilated bodies of children have been discovered at roadsides, the victims of a growing belief in the power of human sacrifice. Particularly communities that surround Uganda's capital, Kampala, have been affected and are gripped by fear. On the roadside are posters warning children of the danger of abduction by witch doctors for the purpose of child sacrifice.
A study of the Ugandan context shows great disparity between the rich elite and the average Ugandan who struggles to make ends meet. It is almost impossible for someone born in a poor family to climb up on the social ladder. The gap between the rich and the poor combined with discontent with the political status quo, endemic corruption and general feeling that the country has lost direction breeds a lot of discontent and frustration. It is in such an environment that any religion promising health, wealth and success thrives. Evidence of this abounds with the one charismatic church promising even more blessing than the other and all kinds of miracles, anointing and other spiritual quick fixes to the shared problems of poverty, ill health and lack of success in life. If the miracles fail the pastor, prophet or apostle is quick to point out that the power of the devil, demons and evil spirits are preventing the miracles from happening through curses, bewitchment and other such spiritual evils. The witchdoctors operate in a similar religious environment and are quick to attribute misfortune, poverty and illness to the work of malicious spirits who need to be appeased in order for someone to obtain health, wealth, success and prosperity. Just as some of his unscrupulous ‘Pentecostal’ counterpart , the witch doctor thrives as desperate people turn to him for a miraculous way to bridge the gap from have-not to have, from failure to success and from poverty to wealth. However, his means are way more violent and damaging than the methods employed by the prosperity preachers.

In a context where a small elite has become rich in a relatively short time during Uganda’s economic boom or enriched themselves using political patronage the witchdoctors of Uganda claim that they have aided many of the nouveau riche to gain their wealth. Such claims are likely not true at all but once such rumours are circulating they advertise the witch doctors’ skill. Some witch doctors even advertise openly in the media. Some of the poor driven by desire for wealth, health and success and looking for a quick way to achieve this may use their last resources to consult the witchdoctor. The witchdoctor in turn charges a fee and consults the spirits who via him communicate what kind of sacrifice of appeasement they want. Often these sacrifices comprise of chickens and goats but when such sacrifices fail to make the client prosper instantly ‘the spirits’ demand human sacrifices. The witchdoctor himself may believe that this is indeed a powerful magical ritual but in some cases the aim is to give the client an impossible task so that the witchdoctor does not appear to have failed. In other cases the witchdoctor actually gains a lot of wealth by facilitating and carrying out human sacrifices as the fee charged is normally very high. Young children are often the victim because they are relatively easy to abduct. The desire for instant wealth on the part of the client and greed on the part of the witchdoctor has created a ready market for children to be bought and sold at a price. They have indeed become a commodity of exchange, child sacrifice has become a commercial business (Rogers 2011).


Fact finding trip

The author of this report was requested by Across Outreach to go on a fact finding mission to Uganda. This fact-finding mission was a response to reports from Pastor John Richard Mubiru of one of the local Pentecostal churches Amen and Amen ministries that the problem of child sacrifice is a very serious issue in Uganda which is insufficiently addressed. The mission took place from 11 December to 20 December and included a consultation on the topic of child sacrifice organised for heads of Christian denominations and other church leaders. Prior to the trip I extensively reviewed all I managed to find related to child sacrifice on the internet and as a result came in contact with Peter Sewakiryanga of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries. They have been campaigning against child sacrifice in Uganda for several years and are taking care of some child survivors of ritual mutilation. I have also contacted organisations who had been involved in addressing the evil of child sacrifice in the past such as RACHO and ANPPCAN Uganda.

Besides meeting representatives of KCM, I also met with Anselm Wandega, the programme manager for ANPPCAN Uganda but I was unable to meet with representatives of RACHO due to a communication breakdown. Whereas KCM was still very active in addressing the issue of child sacrifice, ANPPCAN who were very active in 2009/2010 were now mainly focused on other child rights issues. However, Anselm Wandega expressed a desire to rekindle the campaign against child sacrifice in collaboration with the local churches.

Research

In the course of 10 days I met with various church leaders, former witchdoctors, academics, students and people from different walks of life and obtained a lot of information using semi-structured interviews with 30 people and informal unstructured interviews with another 22 persons.

Although all interviews took place in Kampala, the respondents came from various regions in Uganda. All respondents agreed that child sacrifice and child ritual killing was still a serious problem in their region and district in Uganda but that it appears to be the worst in and around Kampala. All respondent bemoaned the fact that there is little political will to root out the problem and deal with witchdoctors and their clients in a manner that would frighten off would be offenders. All respondents were convinced that police, the judiciary as well as other officials were easily bribed by witchdoctors and their clients to drop prosecution against those who committed ritual killings or mutilations. The majority of the respondent felt the church did not do enough to address the evil of child sacrifice and only a few were able to name an NGO or activist who was active in addressing this matter. I also met with some surviving victims of ritual mutilation, an experience that brought home the severity of the issue.

Consultation with church leaders

As about 80% of the Ugandans are affiliated with a Christian church it is important that the church is mobilised to address the issue of child sacrifice. With this in mind I organised a consultation with the help of my host, pastor John Richard Mubiru, and met with 15 church leaders at Namirembe Guesthouse in Kampala to discuss the problem of child sacrifice. Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga and Karen Lewis of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries showed part of the investigative documentary they made about child sacrifice together with the BBC. This compelling documentary, partly made undercover, is a very good introduction to the issue and led to a lot of discussion. The final outcome of the consultation was that an interdenominational ecumenical church taskforce should be formed to guide the church in addressing this evil in Uganda and to pressurise the government to take more action. The taskforce will be formed by Peter Sewakiryanga with the help of pastor John Richard Mubiru. In order to further equip pastor John Richard Mubiru I enrolled him at Makerere University for a short course in administration and management in order to build his capacity.

How to help

What can foreign organisations and donors do to support true transformation in Uganda and to eradicate evils such as child sacrifice, domestic violence and other forms of abuse?

* Promote international awareness as done by the Jubilee campaign (UK) and Kyampisi.

* Network with other international and local NGOs to address this evil practice in Uganda

* Lobby your government and multi-lateral organisations to exert pressure on the Ugandan government to act firmly against
child sacrifice and violence against women and children in general.

* Support local activists and organisations who are already actively fighting the evil of child sacrifice in Uganda so that
they can be more effective:

- Provide structural financial support to organizations involved in the campaign against child sacrifice such as KCM and
Across Outreach.[10]

- Capacity building of activists by facilitating further training, both formal and informal training. For example by helping
them to attend international conferences and seminars on relevant topics.

- Make the stories of victims and activists known and help to advertise their work through social marketing

- Provide technical support, assistance and advice by means of long-term volunteers or resident expatriate specialists
(anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, lawyers, human rights specialists, medical personnel etc).

- Monitor and evaluate activities of local partners on a regular basis in order to promote accountability and transparency.

- Plan, organise and facilitate ongoing research in accordance with accepted international standards in order to inform,
modify and develop policy on the ground in order to improve the efficiency of the various interventions.

- Encourage international students, researchers and academics to do their research in areas relevant to addressing child
sacrifice in Uganda and help them where possible.

- Encourage reporters and other media personnel to investigate the issues in Uganda as part of documentation as well as
international awareness creation.

- Facilitate for national, regional and international consultations on the issue of child sacrifice to promote better
networking, cross-pollination of ideas and form strategic alliances.

- Facilitate for activists and experts to be given various international platforms to speak out on the issue of child
sacrifice. These may include both academic and popular platforms in Universities, colleges, churches, human rights clubs etc.

Conclusion

The issue of child sacrifice in Uganda is still a very serious problem which can easily spill over to other African countries. The issue should be high on the agenda of human rights organisations, churches and non-governmental organisations as well as the various government bodies in Uganda and the region. There is little use in blaming and accusing the Ugandan government of doing too little as some have done in the media for this may create resentment and an unwillingness to work with other stakeholders. Positive engagement with the government combined with non-aggressive pressure in the form of creating a national awareness of the problem through the media and in the pulpits as well as extensive lobbying is likely to produce more results. Bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors should also be engaged so that they make funds available to local and national government agencies including the judiciary to address this scourge. Documentation, information sharing and ongoing media attention is essential to keep up the momentum. Finally the issue of child sacrifice and other forms of ritual mutilation and violence against women and children should be addressed from multiple angles: legally, politically, sociologically, psychologically, theologically and even through the music and the arts until the practice becomes totally discredited, abhorrent and impossible to continue in the Ugandan context.

Dr. Erwin van der Meer
Africa Outreach/Stichting Afrika Zending


Sources cited:

ABC 2009. Men severed albino boy's legs in ritual killing. ABC News (23 September):
Http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-23/men-severed-albino-boys-legs-in-ritual-killing/1439848

Akosah-Sarpong, Kofi 2007. Mozambique tackles Witchcraft and Human Sacrifice. Modern Ghana (5 August):
Http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/NewsArchive/news_details.asp?menu_id=1&id=VFZSUmQwNUVRVFE9

Allen, Karen 2008. Living in fear: Tanzania’s albinos, in BBC News (21 July):
Http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7518049.stm

BBC 2004. DR Congo pygmies 'exterminated', in BBC News (9 July):
Http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3869489.stm

BBC 2008. Albino girl killed for body parts, in BBC News (17 November):
Http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7733597.stm

BBC 2010. Human sacrifices 'on the rise in Uganda' as witch doctors admit to rituals, BBC Investigation quoted in the Telegraph
(7 January): Http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/6944292/Human-sacrifices-on-the-
rise-in-Uganda-as-witch-doctors-admit-to-rituals.html

Igwe, Leo 2010. Ritual Killing and Human Sacrifice in Africa, a statement made at the African Commission on Human and People’s
Rights, 48th Session (November 10-24)in Banjul, Gambia. Http://www.iheu.org/ritual-killing-and-human-sacrifice-africa

Jonker, Kobus 2006. South African police accused of ignoring ritual murders, quoted by Stephen Bevan in the Telegraph (Mar. 26).

Kante, Sadio 2004. Mali's human sacrifice - myth or reality? BBC News Africa (20 September): Http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa
/3663292.stm

Mulondo, Moses 2011. Christianity, ancestral worship cannot mix, in Sunday Vision newspaper – Uganda (18 December): 30.

Rogers, Chris 2011. Where child sacrifice is a business, BBC News Africa (11 October):
Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15255357#story_continues_1

USDS 2011. United States Department of State, 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Gabon, (8 April ):
Http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4da56dc7c.html

Vernaschi, Marco 2010. Child Sacrifice in Uganda. Pulitzer center (April 16):
Http://pulitzercenter.org/blog/untold-stories/uganda-child-sacrifice-not-cultural-issue

Vernaschi, Marco 2010a. Uganda: A lawyer's brief, a mother's grief. Pulitzer center (April 25):
Http://pulitzercenter.org/blog/untold-stories/uganda-lawyers-brief-mothers-grief

Whewell, Tim 2010. A BBC investigation into human sacrifice in Uganda , in BBC News: Newsnight: (7 January):
Http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8441813.stm

End notes:

[1] See for example Vernaschi (2010).

[2] Restoring African Cultural Harmony Organisation, a small Ugandan NGO (Vernaschi 2010).

[3] Facilitation for Peace and Development

[4]African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect, see www.anppcanug.org

[5] This view was often expressed by Ugandans in interviews and discussions with the author of this report.

[6] See for example the reports on ritual killings in West Africa: Http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/NotOnlyInLiberia_CongoGabonGambiaGhana.htm

[7] The author of this report has had the privilege of meeting the boy on several occasions at Kyampisi Childcare Ministries.

[8] Just like one may find unscrupulous clergy in for example the Roman Catholic church who abuse the system for personal benefit to the detriment of others so one can find them among African Pentecostal churches. This is not to say that all African Pentecostals are like this but as they generally have received little or no theological training they are easily swayed by such inherently non-Christian ideas.

[9] The sharp distinction found in many African cultures between the witch-doctor, as the one who sniffs out offending witches, and those who are considered to be witches, in the sense of those who are believed to cause mayhem in the community by evil magical means, appears non-existent in Uganda. The role of witch in the sense of bewitching someone by magical means and the role of witch-doctor in the sense of providing protection against bewitchment are usually fulfilled by one and the same person. This ambiguity is often hinted at in other African cultures but is very obvious in Uganda.

[10] For local organizations and activists to do their work well a consistent small donation on a regular has more impact than an occasional large donation as it enables the organization to budget and plan rather than operate on an ad-hoc basis.


COPYRIGHT NOTICE:

The text of this website article is available for modification and reuse under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License and the GNU Free Documentation License. However, it is appreciated if you add a link to the original article on this website.

Child Sacrifice in Uganda

Ugandan witch doctors sacrifice thousands of children
Mark Colvin ("ABC," October 20, 2011)

MARK COLVIN: A week ago, the BBC broadcast a shocking story from Uganda about widespread child sacrifice. As a result of an undercover investigation, it said many cases were not being followed up by the police, and little was being done to protect potential victims.

The reporters spoke to a witch doctor who offered to kill a child for them to bring luck to a construction project.

Peter M Sewakiryanga is director of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries in Uganda, which helped with the investigation.

He's in Australia to draw attention to the child sacrifice problem, and he spoke to me this afternoon.

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Many people in Uganda have come to believe that when you sacrifice a child to evil spirits you get blessings, you get wealth, you get protection of some kind.

And there are many people involved in witchcraft, who are called witch doctors, who have been going on telling people that you need to sacrifice to be able to succeed in life.

MARK COLVIN: How many children get kidnapped and used in this way?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Last year we had reports of over 9,000 children (inaudible) lost and that is based on the United States human rights report. And unfortunately the most number of these children never get to be found and it's been come to our attention that most of them have been victims of child sacrifice.

Because people do it in such secrecy, it's very hard to find them dead until you find decapitated bodies of children with ritual stuff that is around them; others are castrated for ritual, you know castrated completely, others are mutilated, others are just cut heads off and remove body organs out of their bodies, and others you will never find them.

We did an investigation with the witch doctors, an undercover investigation, and we found out that 100 per cent of all those involved in witchcraft are willing to give child sacrifice as the best remedy for a problem that is going to bring success to business, it's going to protect business.

MARK COLVIN: So the people who buy this service, they think they're going to get good luck and good health, do they?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Yeah, they think they're going to get good luck, good health, they're going to get rich because there's a big number of people that are poor and they're going to get rich.

And the rich people want also to protect their wealth.

MARK COLVIN: Uganda is in many areas a Christian country. Are these people both practising both Christianity and witchcraft sort of side by side?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: You will find that the biggest, we have a very, very big number of people that believe in witchcraft. Uganda is …

MARK COLVIN: So it's possible to go to church on Sundays and believe in witchcraft the other days of the week?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Most people that are practising witchcraft don't believe in god.

MARK COLVIN: Has this been happening for a long time or is it a relatively new phenomenon?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: It's come very highly in the last couple of years and it's a very complex phenomena. It's become very high now in the last four, five years.

MARK COLVIN: It's an extraordinary phenomenon because Uganda during that period has been growing quite fast and people have a lot more technology, mobile phones, computers, that sort of thing.

It's extraordinary to imagine that witchcraft should be so strong in those circumstances.

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Yeah we have heard also foreign people coming into the country like from Tanzania. Those people that believe in the killing of albinos, that they'll get wealth.

And so any witch doctor that crosses from Tanzania to come to Uganda, they are allowed to announce on radios that they are going to offer the best spiritual power.

MARK COLVIN: They're allowed to advertise on the radio?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Yes, they are allowed to advertise on the radio.

MARK COLVIN: For killing albino children?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: No, no, no to offer evil spiritual success or solutions to problems and once people go there is when they are brought into the practice of child sacrifice.

MARK COLVIN: So you're campaigning against it in Uganda, what are you hoping for by campaigning here? What can Australians do?

PETER M SEWAKIRYANGA: Back in Uganda we have tried to ask the government to look up the child protection laws. We have asked the government to bring all pending cases in court to a logical conclusion so that justice can prevail.

But that has not happened and why we are making this an international campaign is to ask people to sign petitions, to show the government that the whole world is behind this campaign, is asking you to bring all these pending cases in court to a logical conclusion, to ask the government to look at the child protection laws.

They can look at them and this petition to help bring justice and protect children.

MARK COLVIN: Peter Sewakiryanga, director of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries in Uganda. If you're interested in that petition he was talking about you'll be able to see it at www.kyampisi.org or www.jubileecampaign.co.uk.
------------------------
NOTE BY AFRICA OUTREACH:

Peter Sewakiryanga is one of our close friends and contacts in Uganda. He is a committed Christian and we work together to stop this evil in Uganda. Dr. Erwin van der Meer just came back from Uganda yesterday where he did a consultation together with Peter and others and also preached at Peter's church in Kyampisi. One of the outcomes of the consultation organised by Dr. Erwin van der Meer is that a national taskforce of church leaders is being formed in Uganda to address the evil of child sacrifice. The outreach to Uganda was sponsored by our partners of Across-Outreach: www.across-outreach.org

Christianity and Witchcraft

AFRICA OUTREACH: OUR APPROACH TO CHRISTIANITY AND WITCHCRAFT

We believe that true Christianity in its original form as taught by Christ is a religion of love and compassion and not of violence and aggression.

We believe that true Christianity is shown in practical caring love for orphans, widows, the oppressed, the refugees, the sick, the weak, the children and other vulnerable groups in society.

We believe that true Christianity cannot be antagonistic against any human being as this does not agree with loving one’s neighbour as one-self and negates the explicit teaching of Jesus that we should love even our enemies.

We believe that forgiveness and compassion, and not revenge and retribution, are the hallmarks of a true follower of Christ.
In as far as witchcraft or any other spiritual power is concerned we believe that Christ is far superior in power than any other cosmic power in the Universe and able and willing to protect all that belong to Him.

We do not believe in generational curses, physical manifestations of demonic beings. We do not believe in demonic or satanic control over or manipulation of physical forces or events in the created order which is upheld and sustained by God. We believe that demonic spirits may in some cases influence people’s minds so that they experience such things spiritually as in a delusion or nightmare and that this may at times feel very real. This includes astral travel and other spiritual experiences. The Bible portrays Satan as a defeated enemy but who still has the ability to tempt, deceive and inspire false beliefs.

We do not believe that Christ only protects those who pray the right kind of prayer and/or conduct special Christian rituals. This is a magical way of thinking that has nothing to do with trusting Christ.

We do not believe that special prayers or actions by so-called men or women of God are any more powerful, for the power of prayer is with the one who answers prayer and Christ hears even the simple prayers of small children. The concept of spiritual power being subjected to and wielded certain religious specialists rather than equally available to all is a concept that has more in common with the magical traditions of other religions than with true Christianity.

We believe that true Christianity does not force anyone to believe in, or follow Christ. Christ invites people to follow Him. He invites people to be saved and does not force anyone!

We do not believe that Christian love is compatible with any form of emotional, psychological or spiritual manipulation, blackmail or any other form of coercion.

We believe that as Christians we should only judge (in love) those that call themselves followers of Christ as the Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 we are not called to judge non-Christians, that judgement is up to God!!! Therefore we must allow those outside the Christian church to believe what they want, we are not called to judge them, we are only called to invite them to come to Christ so that they may be saved and become His followers.

We do not believe that Christianity should dictate to society how people should live, we can only invite and encourage.

We believe Church and state should be separated because as soon as the two get mixed Christianity gets compromised.

We believe in freedom of religion and belief in society, this includes the belief in other religions, in spirits, in witchcraft, ghosts, goblins and any other supernatural beings or events. It also includes the belief in any other non-religious ideology, including atheism. However, we do not believe that any religious belief or any other ideology is a justification for violence, harm, dispossession, discrimination, psychological or physical abuse, (self) incrimination, imprisonment, or murder.

We believe that it should not be a crime for anyone to believe that he or she is a witch or a magician or a Satanist. We also believe it should not be a crime for anyone to believe that he or she is a witch finder, witch doctor, traditional healer or any other type of magical or religious specialist. As Christians we believe that such people are the victims of false beliefs but at the same time we believe that they have equal rights as any other human being to believe what they want to believe.

We do not believe that the freedom of religion or belief means that one can commit a crime. We believe that any religious or ideological violence, harm, dispossession, discrimination, psychological or physical abuse, (self) incrimination, imprisonment, or murder should face the full wrath of the law.

We believe that any magistrate or judge who bases his ruling on supernatural evidence, including self-incrimination based on supernatural beliefs is incompetent and should be barred from the profession.

We believe that the state should immediately review all the cases of prisoners who have been convicted in cases that involve witchcraft allegations as there is growing evidence that most convictions have been staged and insufficient legal representation has been provided to the accused.

We believe that for the sake of the common good of its citizens the state should work towards educating the people to refrain from unlawful and harmful practices that take place under the guise of culture and religion.

We believe that Churches, FBOs, NGOs, CBOs and other non-state actors should be encouraged to complement the state in educating the people to refrain from unlawful and harmful practices that take place under the guise of culture and religion.

Notes:

Matthew 22:37-40

37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Romans 13:10

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13

12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Boy-child victims of witchcraft stigmatization

Shelter for Boy-child victims of witchcraft stigmatization

The shelter for boys who have been mistreated because of witchcraft allegations made against them has opened its doors in Namiyango. The shelter is a joint project between Africa Outreach and The Crusade for Community Transformation and is sponsored by Across Outreach from the Netherlands. So far four teenage boys have found a safe haven while two young children are at large after having been abused by their families. We hope that they will be found and brought to safety before worse is done to them.

Mr. Frank Phiri of The Crusade for Community Transformation

Statement on Child Witchcraft Accusations in Africa

Dear friends, In the past decade there has been an upsurge in violence against children in sub-Sahara Africa who have been accused by their families or communities of witchcraft. The stigmatization of children as witches as well as the stigmatization of other vulnerable groups in society such as the elderly, refugees or the handicapped needs to be arrested before it gets out of hand. Accusing children of being witches is becoming standard performance for unscrupulous Pentecostal style pastors and so-called prophets and apostles who mix Christian and African traditional religious elements so that they can build their reputation of being spiritual experts. In Malawi this poisonous mixture of Pentecostal Christianity and African Traditional beliefs has led to severe instances of abuse including torture and murder. You may recall the case of the 12 year old boy in Mwanza district who was burned to death two years ago after a prayer meeting, or the two young children who were burned to death by their relatives in Bangwe after having been accused of witchcraft by the pastor of a so-called Miracle church. You may also think of the youths who committed suicide by jumping in a fire in Ndirande last year after a prophet had told them that they were bewitched by their father. Recently we had the case of a 12 year old orphaned boy who was beaten to death in Blantyre district after the relatives had decided he was a witch. The issue of branding children as witches highlights the general need for addressing the problem of witchcraft accusations in society. It is not only a human rights issue but also a gender issue since girls and women are disproportionally affected. It is also an issue that affects the handicapped and the elderly as diseases such as Alzheimer often result in witchcraft allegations. It is even an issue of democracy because witchcraft allegations fuel tensions in our communities, creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety resulting in violence and destruction of property. Proposed action We aim to form a broad coalition against witchcraft stigmatization in Malawi in order to address the issue from multiple angles. We believe it needs to be addressed from a legal perspective involving the government and the judiciary which includes the review of the witchcraft suppression act as well as lobbying for tougher legislation dealing with people who use witchcraft accusations as an excuse for violence and abuse. Finally we believe that the issue must be addressed as an educational issue, both formal and informal education. This can be achieved by means of a nation-wide awareness and education campaign involving civil society as well as the media and educational bodies. We also need to create awareness concerning witchcraft accusations from a psychological and medical point of view to help people understand that diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, neurological problems as well as psychological conditions such as schizophrenia and paranoia do not reflect bewitchment. This needs to involve the medical fraternity. From a religious perspective it needs to involve the Christian church and theological training facilities as the problem of witchcraft stigmatization has been compounded by unscrupulous Christian leaders. We kindly invite you and the organizations and/or government agencies you represent to become a formal partner in the coalition against witchcraft stigmatization in Malawi so that together we can successfully address this issue and minimise its harmful effects in society. Thank you. Contact: The coalition against witchcraft stigmatization PO Box 2363, Blantyre, Malawi Email: c.a.w.s@hotmail.com

Saving Witch children in Africa

At the core of the teachings of Jesus Christ is love, love from God for humankind (John 3:16) which we ought to reflect back in love for God and in loving our neighbours including those we consider our enemies. Any teaching that negates, undermines or deviates from this and results in stigmatization, psychological or physical abuse is therefore a heresy and originates from the father of lies who is also a murderer from the beginning as the fruit of his lies is evil and death, both at an individual as well as societal level. The true evidence of the presence of the Spirit of Christ is shown in genuine caring love (agape) which among other things results in joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self-control. In our African continent we find many Pentecostal, Charismatic and independent churches who stigmatize children and other vulnerable groups in society as witches who are the cause of the misfortunes that befall their families and communities. Using Charismatic prophecy and other gifts of the Spirit as tools of divination, pastors, prophets and apostles claim sniff out the witches. Those who are sniffed out are exposed to abuse, ostracism, torture and murder. The more 'lucky' ones are exorcised of their demons in a heavy handed manner which often includes beatings, starvation and imprisonment until the families of the accused pay the high fees demanded by the prophet. Some prophets do not demand fees but build a name of fame by means of public witch sniffing and public exorcisms which in the end translates in higher financial contributions in form of tithes and offerings as well as monetary rewards offered by family members whose children have been 'treated'. However, the children once stigmatized as witches continue to be viewed with suspicion and suffer emotional neglect if not outright psychological and physical abuse. Children whose parents are still alive may be taken back to the prophet over an over again for exorcisms but children who are orphaned are often chased away after having been branded witches with many of them ending up as street children or become victims of trafficking or get trapped in prostitution. As Africa Outreach we believe that God has called us to join arms with others in countering this ungodly heresy and mitigate its impact on the African children. Please pray for us and support us in this effort. God bless, Dr. Erwin van der Meer

Africa Outreach