What’s the issue?

Why are children accused?

The idea of witchcraft stretches back through history and reaches far around the world. Throughout all civilisations where witchcraft has been documented, typically accusations have always been levelled against the weakest and most vulnerable members of a given society.

In the Niger Delta region, where Safe Child Africa currently focuses much of it’s operations, children are by far the most vulnerable members of society.

How many children are accused of witchcraft?

The answer is that no one really knows, because no one is counting.

Child witchcraft accusations remain an extremely hidden problem. Many accusations go unreported and the majority are undocumented.

In many of the countries where child witchcraft accusations occur, agencies such as the police and the judicial systems operate poorly, so abuse against children is rarely reported and documented. There is also very little good quality research on the scale of the problem, despite the urgent need to gather robust information on just how many children around the world are abused as a result of witchcraft accusations. As a result, gaining a broader and deeper understanding of this complex humanitarian problem and bringing it to the public domain, remains a challenge.