Saving Africa's Witch Children
In some of the poorest parts of Nigeria, where evangelical religious fervour is combined with a belief in sorcery and black magic, many thousands of children are being blamed for catastrophes, death and famine - and branded witches by powerful pastors. These children are then abandoned, tortured, starved and murdered - all in the name of Jesus Christ.
The recent Dispatches programme on television followed the work of one Englishman, 29-year-old Gary Foxcroft, who has devoted his life to helping these desperate and vulnerable children. Gary's charity, Stepping Stones Nigeria, raises funds to help Sam Itauma, who five years ago, rescued four children accused of witchcraft. He now struggles to care for over 150 in a makeshift shelter and school in the Niger Delta region called CRARN (Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network).
You can find out more about the work of Stepping Stones Nigeria at http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/
Anne Moffat (East Lothian, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source | Watch this
I wonder whether my right hon. and learned Friend had time to view the "Dispatches" programme on Channel 4 last night about children who have been mutilated, abused and killed in Nigeria because they were accused of being witches. The practice is blamed on the Church, which is involved in it, claiming that it is part of a Christian reading of the Bible. Has the world gone mad? May we have a debate on the crisis in Nigeria, and on protecting those innocent children?
Harriet Harman (Lord Privy Seal, House of Commons; Camberwell & Peckham, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source | Watch this
I will raise my hon. Friend's point with my colleagues in the Foreign Office and in the Department for International Development. We want to support human rights not only in this country but throughout the world.
Gary and Sam introduced Dispatches to some of the rescued children who have been through unimaginable horrors, such as Ekemeni, aged 13, who was tied up with chicken wire and starved and beaten for two weeks, and Mary, aged 14, who was burnt with acid before her mother attempted to bury her alive. Other children display the hallmarks of witch-branding - acid burns and machete scars. Uma Eke, aged 17, has been left brain-damaged after having a three-inch nail driven into her skull.
Hospitals refuse to treat children associated with sorcery, so Sam's centre does its best to provide medical aid. As well as the physical scars, the children arrive at the shelter badly traumatised by their experiences, with many of them brain-washed into accepting they are possessed by the devil.
The parents or siblings of children torture them in an attempt to kill them or force confessions from them to admit that they are witches. As Gary remarks, the children at CRARN are the lucky ones - they're still alive.
Influential preachers from the more extreme churches brand the children witches or wizards and exploit their desperate parents by charging them exorbitant amounts of money in return for exorcising the spirits. The film features extraordinary access to some of the preachers who openly discuss their work. One preacher who calls himself 'The Bishop,' says he has made a fortune by carrying out 'deliverances' on children. He admits having killed 110 people in the past. Dispatches films him as he administers a mixture of pure alcohol, a substance known as 'African mercury' and his own blood to one child accused of witchcraft.
Exorcism is big business. Preachers can charge as much as a year's salary for an average Nigerian to treat children. They often hold the child captive until the parents can pay up. The Niger Delta area is oil rich - but very few have access to oil wealth; the average life expectancy is around 47.
I have raised this matter in the House of Commons and also with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I would urge constituents to write directly to the Minister, Right Honourable David Milliband MP and express the need for urgent action. For further information click here
EastLothian Churchesand Community Groups CAMPAIGN
- Write to Rt Hon David Milliband at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Rt Hon Douglas Alexander at the Department for International Development.
- For further information or materials contact: Karie Murphy 01875 818430
