Witch-hunts, where people are accused of witchcraft, remain a serious social problem in parts of Africa. Cultural beliefs that illness or misfortune can be caused by witchcraft contribute to the problem. Those accused, usually women, face violence, abandonment, or death. Poverty, jealousy, religious beliefs, and lack of legal protections also enable witch-hunts. International organizations and some countries are working to address injustices and support victims through education, legal reforms, and empowerment programs.

1. WITCH-HUNTS: A MODERN SOCIAL
PROBLEM IN AFRICA

2. WITCH-HUNTS LOCATIONS

3. MAJOR CAUSES OF WITCH-
HUNTS
 Culture And Beliefs
 Ancestry; an important way to show honor and please their
ancestors. Pleasing their ancestor would bring blessing, and
neglect to do that would bring misfortune and curses.
 One is natural illnesses; are treated by western medicine.
 The other is “man-made” like HIV/AIDS; are immune to medicine
and require spiritual healers “evil force”/malicious assault of
witches.

4. CASE 1: MADUMO
 Madumo is based on a bewitched man name Madumo in Soweto of South Africa.
 He was accused of using witchcraft to kill his mother and kicked out
of his home by his relatives.
 He went to an inyanga (spiritual healers or witch doctors) for help.
 The spiritual doctor Mr. Zondi told him “about fate and misfortune
and the lack of communication with [his] ancestors”
 Madumo spent six hundred and fifty dollars for this spiritual healing.

5. CASE 2: THE DANGER OF WITCH-DOCTORS
 Up to 1,000 Gambian villagers have been abducted by witch doctors to secret
detention centers and forced to drink potions
 “Witch doctors” forced these people to confess to being witches and were
beaten, almost to the point of death.
 Most of the abducted were elders and there were two people died because of kidney
problems due to the concoctions.

6. PERCENTAGE POPULATION LIVING ON LESS
THAN $1.25 PER DAY 2009

7. ECONOMIC FACTORS
 Extreme Poverty
 To live on under $1 or $2 a day
 Lacked access to basic needs: Water, electricity and sanitation
 Little ownership of productive assets like bicycle, phone etc…
 Lacked access to infrastructures like hospital, school etc…
 Poor health condition and low morality rate
 Lack of income and job.
 Jealousy
 “They won’t want to see you progressing…It’s because most of the
people don’t work and they don’t have the money and seeing that
they don’t have [money] and if you are doing something and
prospering then they become jealous” (Modiehe)

8. Regional HIV and AIDS statistics and features 2009
Adults and children
Adults and children Adult prevalence Adult & child
newly infected with
living with HIV (15‒49) [%] deaths due to AIDS
HIV
Sub-Saharan Africa 22.5 million 1.8 million 5.0% 1.3 million
[20.9 million – 24.2 million] [1.6 million – 2.0 million] [4.7% – 5.2%] [1.1 million – 1.5 million]
Middle East and North Africa 460 000 75 000 0.2% 24 000
[400 000 – 530 000] [61 000 – 92 000] [0.2% – 0.3%] [20 000 – 27 000]
South and South-East Asia 4.1 million 270 000 0.3% 260 000
[3.7 million – 4.6 million] [240 000 – 320 000] [0.3% – 0.3%] [230 000 – 300 000]
East Asia 770 000 82 000 0.1% 36 000
[560 000 – 1.0 million] [48 000 – 140 000] [0.1% – 0.1%] [25 000 – 50 000]
Central and South America 1.4 million 92 000 0.5% 58 000
[1.2 million – 1.6 million] [70 000 – 120 000] [0.4% – 0.6%] [43 000 – 70 000]
Caribbean 240 000 17 000 1.0% 12 000
[220 000 – 270 000] [13 000 – 21 000] [0.9% – 1.1%] [8500 – 15 000]
Eastern Europe and Central Asia 1.4 million 130 000 0.8% 76 000
[1.3 million – 1.6 million] [110 000 – 160 000] [0.7% – 0.9%] [60 000 – 95 000]
Western and Central Europe 820 000 31 000 0.2% 8500
[720 000 – 910 000] [23 000 – 40 000] [0.2% – 0.2%] [6800 – 19 000]
North America 1.5 million 70 000 0.5% 26 000
[1.2 million – 2.0 million] [44 000 – 130 000] [0.4% – 0.7%] [22 000 – 44 000]
Oceania 57 000 4500 0.3% 1400
[50 000 – 64 000] [3400 – 6000] [0.2% – 0.3%] [<1000 – 2400]
TOTAL 33.3 million 2.6 million 0.8% 1.8 million
[31.4 million – 35.3 million] [2.3 million – 2.8 million] [0.7% - 0.8%] [1.6 million – 2.1 million]

9. RELIGIOUS FACTORS
 Christianity
 “For these nations, whose land you are taking, give attention to
readers of signs and to those using secret arts: but the Lord your God
will not let you do so” (Deut 18:14)
 “Deliverance” – casting out of demons or exorcism for money
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWSUAsC3ITg&feature=related

10. PUNISHMENT FOR BEING SUSPECTED AS A “WITCH”
• Abandoned, isolated, or discriminated
• Taken to the forest and slaughtered
• Disgraced publicly and murdered
• Bathed in acid
• Poisoned to death
• Buried alive
• Chained and tortured in churches in order to extract
confession

11. TYPES OF VIOLENCE

12. WHY MAJORITY VICTIMS IN WITCH-HUNTS ARE WOMEN
 Sexist ideology
 Women would only to bad things with powers while men are allow to
have the powers and use it positive way.
 Women are born “under a shadow of Suspicious”
 Polygamy
 Successful Independent women
 “People in my community thought that I was the cause of the
sickness because I lived independently, away from my husband. I
was doing fine” (Asara Azindow).

13. LAW & GOVERNMENT
 Witchcraft Suppression Act 1957 of South Africa
 States that another has used supernatural forces to cause
disease or damage, or names another as a wizard;
 Professes to a knowledge of witchcraft or tells anyone else
how to bewitch or injure any other person or thing;
 Acts on the advice of a witch doctor to put into operation
any process intended to damage or injure anyone;
 Pretends, for gain, to exercise supernatural powers or
undertakes to tell fortunes or pretends to be able to
discover where anything lost or stolen may be found.

14.  Penalties
 In the case of the accused has been proved to be by habit or
repute a witchdoctor or witch-finder, to imprisonment for a period
not exceeding twenty years;
 In the case of an offence professes a knowledge of
witchcraft, employs or solicits any witchdoctor or act on the advice
of any witchdoctor will fine not exceeding five hundred rand or to
imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such
fine and such imprisonment;
 In the case of an offence pretending to exercise supernatural
powers for personal gain will be fine two hundred rand or to
imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years.
 Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill, 2007
 "The purpose of the bill is to suppress Acts of witchcraft including
naming and pointing of any body as a wizard or witch. To deal with
the violence associated with allegations of witchcraft and deal with
killings including ritual killing associated with witchcraft and
empowering Traditional leaders to deal with Witchcraft aspects.“

15. NIGERIA; AKWA IBOM CHILD RIGHTS ACT 2008
 Everyone under 16 years whatever their
race, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever
family background is affected and covered by this
law, receives government protection, and has rights spelt out
in this law.
 Children must not be separated from their parents unless it is
for their own good.
 Government will ensure that children are properly cared
for, and protect them from violence, abuse and neglect by
their parents, or guardian.
 Penalties
 The law prescribes up to 15 years imprisonment without an
option of a fine or both for offenders in Child
stigmatization, accusation of witchcraft or torture.

16. ORGANIZATIONS
 Presbyterian Church of Ghana
 Witch-Hunt Victims Empowerment Project
 Stepping Stones Nigeria’s
 CRARN (Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network)
 South African Pagan Rights Alliance
 Touchstone Advocacy