By Bonny Ibhawoh,
Witchcraft and Human Rights
It is sad to note that in the 21st century countless number of people around the world still suffer exclusion, social ostracism, violence and even death based on spurious allegations of witchcraft. The victims are often the weakest in these societies – women and children. The moral strength of any society can only be truly judged based on how well it treats the weakest of its members. It is however gratifying that the international human rights community is begining to pay serious attention to these human rights violations perpetuated in the name of witchcraft. The Policy Development and Evaluation Service has created a “Witchcraft and Human Rights Network”. It is an informal network where information about new developments, research and news related to witchcraft can be shared.
This Article written in New Issues in Refugee Research by Jill Schnoebelen called “Witchcraft Allegations and Displacement”. It addresses the growing and troubling issues from a human rights perspective
http://www.unhcr.org/research/RESEARCH/4981ca712.pdf
A recent movie by the producer Allison Berg also explores the issue. The Movie is titled “Witches in Exile.”
Witches in Exile
(79 minutes) Ghana/USADirector/Producer: Allison Berg
Description:In Ghana, women accused of witchcraft are torn from their families and banished to witch villages. Witches in Exile follows these accused women through their daily struggle to survive in the Kukuo Witches Camp. As government agencies attempt to abolish this age-old tradition, these women find themselves caught between their society’s deeply-rooted beliefs and its drive toward modernization.
http://www.unaff.org/2004/f_witches.html
