WUNRN
Statement by the
Special Representative of the Secretary General
on Violence
against Children
Marta Santos Pais
Side Event
Violence Against Children Accused of
Witchcraft
10 March 2014
Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends,
I am delighted to be associated with this important meeting on violence against children accused of
witchcraft.
The
growing reality of children being
accused of witchcraft reveals a serious pattern of discrimination,
social exclusion, violence, abandonment and sometimes even murder of innocent
children. Vulnerable children, such as those with disabilities, children with
albinism, children without parental care as well as specially gifted children,
are often the target of witchcraft accusations. Beyond branding a child as a
witch, in itself a form of psychological violence, these accusations often lead
to physical attacks against these children and other extreme human rights
violations.
In some
cases, traditional healers and local religious leaders condone witchcraft
accusations, as it can serve as a lucrative business venture for them.
Uninformed parents and families who believe, or have been led to believe, that
their child is a witch often seek assistance to exorcise the “evil” spirit. Rituals are largely
surrounded by secrecy and kept within the privacy of the household; aggravated
by fear and superstition, they tend to remain hidden and persist.
In
addition to social and cultural beliefs, political, social and economic factors
play a role in this phenomenon. Misfortune and unexpected bad luck, sudden and
incurable disease and death, often fuel the belief in witchcraft and that the
child is to blame – generally targeting the most vulnerable and marginalized
children. This in turn leads to the abuse and neglect that accused children
face. Overall, “to be labelled a witch…is tantamount to being declared liable
to be killed with impunity”.
As a result of all these factors, incidences of
violence against children accused of witchcraft are rarely reported. They
remain concealed and associated with a culture of impunity and
tolerance of violence, with no opportunity for redress
for child victims.
A few
months ago, I met with young people from several West African countries to
discuss children’s protection from harmful practices. They all voiced a deep
concern at the high incidence of violence associated with witchcraft
accusations, highlighting the deep isolation and loneliness of child victims,
and the stigma, fear and ostracism surrounding their lives.
The
plight of these children was dramatically captured by a drawing which pictured
a little boy with albinism tied to a tree, very far away from the village,
being attacked by a lion… It is an image I keep vividly in my mind.
Dear Friends,
The belief in witchcraft cuts across all social lines. It is a
belief held by urban and rural populations, as well as by traditional and local
religious groups. In today’s globalizing world, reports of witchcraft incidents
are gaining increasing visibility across regions. Either in Sub-Saharan Africa,
in
In recent
years, many countries have adopted significant legislative measures to prevent
and address child witchcraft accusations. In many cases, the practice has been
criminalized and protective measures have been adopted to safeguard children’s
safety and human rights. These are developments we need to welcome. Yet, there
is no time for complacency and we cannot afford to have children “legally
protected on paper, but unprotected in reality”.
In
countries with a plural legal system, potential tensions between statutory
legislation and customary and religious laws can present significant challenges
to implementation. To overcome such conflicts, it is important for national
legislation to recognize the primacy of international human rights standards
and for legal provisions to be fully in line with relevant treaties and norms.
But in
addition, it is important to recognize that legislation does not have the magic
power of changing superstition and deeply rooted beliefs. For this reason,
additional measures need to be in place. Let me highlight some of them:
a) Supporting the protective role of the family: Parents, as well as members of the extended family, need to be
involved and supported in discussions and in initiatives aiming at the
protection of children’s rights and promoting the abandonment of harmful
practices. To address the social and economic drivers of this phenomenon,
children and their families should benefit from basic social services of quality to ensure
children’s development, wellbeing and effective protection. These measures will
be critical to avoid the abandonment of children accused of witchcraft and
placing them in situations of risk.
b) Empowering children: Rather than being stigmatized and ostracized, children need to
be supported to become the first line of protection and participate as
influential actors in the process of social change that may lead to the
abandonment of this practice. Awareness raising, information and education are
crucial to provide children with the
knowledge, skills, and self-confidence necessary to enable them to
prevent and address violence and discrimination.
c) Engaging strategic stakeholders: The involvement of political,
religious, traditional and tribal leaders, as well as of community
organizations is crucial in violence prevention and in the protection of
children against witchcraft accusations. Wide and inclusive social mobilization
efforts, including through drama, dance and songs, are in fact urgent to
overcome fear and influence change in attitudes and behavior, to prevent child
abandonment and ostracism, as well as to support the lasting abandonment of
this harmful practice and safeguard the protection of children at all times.
d) Enacting a clear legal ban against all forms of violence against
children: National legislation should include a clear and comprehensive
prohibition of all manifestations of violence and harmful practices, supported
by detailed provisions in relevant laws to secure the effective protection of children accused of witchcraft, and to provide
for means of redress and accountability. Clear provisions on reporting,
investigation and prosecution of incidents of violence against children are
essential to fight impunity. These measures need in addition to be supported by
information campaigns and other awareness raising initiatives to make the
provisions of the law known and to encourage effective implementation.
e) Ensuring the recovery and
reintegration of child victims: Even when protective laws
are in place, implementation remains a challenge in the face of traditional
attitudes and deep-rooted social conventions. It is therefore also crucial to
provide for shelters to ensure the safety of children at risk, and to promote
the physical and psychological recovery and reintegration of child victims in
an environment that fosters their health, self-respect and dignity and supports
the development of their full potential in life.
f) Lastly, promoting
research and consolidating data will be indispensable to break the invisibility
and secrecy of these practices, to inform the development of laws, policies and
interventions, and very especially to protect children at risk.
Dear Friends
As we have seen from positive experiences around the world, these
strategic recommendations can help prevent and promote the abandonment of these
serious practices.
Let us therefore keep this topic high in the agenda and join hands to transform them into tangible action.
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