NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE NEED TO ABOLISH WITCH CAMPS IN THE COUNTRY
Many Ghanaians believe witchcraft is real and can be destructive. This non-empirical and intuitive mentality with no justification in today’s scientific world, is unfortunately the bane behind the inhumane treatment meted out to people perceived to be witches. It is embarrassing, that in the midst of Christian and Islamic teachings and the claim that rule of law is supreme in Ghana, as many as over 966 women and six hundred and seven (607) children are detained in three out of the six witch camps in the Northern Region. These are Ngani witches camp in Yendi, the Kukuo witches camp at Bimbila and the famous Gambaga witches camp at Gambaga.
Unfortunately the Ghanaian media only highlights the plight of witches in the northern part of the country as if it was a deliberate attempt to paint a dark picture of virtually everything in the north. In a recent report, titled “killing the witches”, Manase Azure Awuni, a journalist exposed the pathetic story of how some witches are beaten, vilified and locked up in homes in the nation’s capital, Accra . The story of the 72-year old woman, who was burnt in the industrial city of Tema, by five adults for allegedly being a witch, is still fresh in our memory. The police in Takoradi also made public, the story of a couple who kept their nine year old son indoors until his death on the orders of a spiritualist that the boy was possessed by witchcraft. The list is endless with prayer camps seemingly playing a dominant role.
Without attempting to endorse the purported acts of witchcraft, it is only fair that in the absence of any authentic proofs all human beings are treated fairly. In virtually all cases, alleged witches, apart from being beaten mercilessly, are forced to drink unhealthy herbal concoctions to prove their innocence most of which are injurious to their health. There is scientific evidence that some people who profess to be speaking with the devil or hearing voices of others including voices of the dead are simply hallucinating. Science has proven that there are many psychological disorders that manifest in people especially at the menopausal or old age that make sufferers to sometimes behave in ways that some people may attribute to witchcraft. Yet there is no correlation between the two.
The question is for how long shall we continue to infringe on the fundamental human rights of these so called witches most of whom are either from very poor homes or are very old in the name of culture? The 1992 constitution makes it clear that no one is guilty unless otherwise proven by a court of competent jurisdiction. It is therefore criminal for anyone to hide behind culture and religion to infringe on the rights of others under the pretext of witchcraft. Certainly the rights of some people have been grossly abused, in the name of witchcraft, and the time to end it, is now. One is therefore making a passionate appeal to the government to ensure the immediate closure of all witch camps in the country.
It may be true that many of the accused may have committed demonic acts with witchcraft. It is also true that many have been falsely accused and are suffering for accusations they have no knowledge of. Let us jointly fight for the release of these accused witches and ensure that their human rights are respected at all times.
BY: GEORGE ASEKERE, GBC RADIO NEWSROOM.
Many Ghanaians believe witchcraft is real and can be destructive. This non-empirical and intuitive mentality with no justification in today’s scientific world, is unfortunately the bane behind the inhumane treatment meted out to people perceived to be witches. It is embarrassing, that in the midst of Christian and Islamic teachings and the claim that rule of law is supreme in Ghana, as many as over 966 women and six hundred and seven (607) children are detained in three out of the six witch camps in the Northern Region. These are Ngani witches camp in Yendi, the Kukuo witches camp at Bimbila and the famous Gambaga witches camp at Gambaga.
Unfortunately the Ghanaian media only highlights the plight of witches in the northern part of the country as if it was a deliberate attempt to paint a dark picture of virtually everything in the north. In a recent report, titled “killing the witches”, Manase Azure Awuni, a journalist exposed the pathetic story of how some witches are beaten, vilified and locked up in homes in the nation’s capital, Accra . The story of the 72-year old woman, who was burnt in the industrial city of Tema, by five adults for allegedly being a witch, is still fresh in our memory. The police in Takoradi also made public, the story of a couple who kept their nine year old son indoors until his death on the orders of a spiritualist that the boy was possessed by witchcraft. The list is endless with prayer camps seemingly playing a dominant role.
Without attempting to endorse the purported acts of witchcraft, it is only fair that in the absence of any authentic proofs all human beings are treated fairly. In virtually all cases, alleged witches, apart from being beaten mercilessly, are forced to drink unhealthy herbal concoctions to prove their innocence most of which are injurious to their health. There is scientific evidence that some people who profess to be speaking with the devil or hearing voices of others including voices of the dead are simply hallucinating. Science has proven that there are many psychological disorders that manifest in people especially at the menopausal or old age that make sufferers to sometimes behave in ways that some people may attribute to witchcraft. Yet there is no correlation between the two.
The question is for how long shall we continue to infringe on the fundamental human rights of these so called witches most of whom are either from very poor homes or are very old in the name of culture? The 1992 constitution makes it clear that no one is guilty unless otherwise proven by a court of competent jurisdiction. It is therefore criminal for anyone to hide behind culture and religion to infringe on the rights of others under the pretext of witchcraft. Certainly the rights of some people have been grossly abused, in the name of witchcraft, and the time to end it, is now. One is therefore making a passionate appeal to the government to ensure the immediate closure of all witch camps in the country.
It may be true that many of the accused may have committed demonic acts with witchcraft. It is also true that many have been falsely accused and are suffering for accusations they have no knowledge of. Let us jointly fight for the release of these accused witches and ensure that their human rights are respected at all times.
BY: GEORGE ASEKERE, GBC RADIO NEWSROOM.
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