Posts by whrin_admin

A Very British Witchcraft (Full): Documentary on Gerald Gardner & Wicca

The extraordinary story of Britain’s fastest-growing religious group – the modern pagan witchcraft of Wicca. View here.

Africa: ‘Witch-Gun’ and superstition in Guinea and Sierra Leone

Belief in ‘witch-gun’ is common among the peoples of Guinea and Sierra Leone. It is not clear how they came about this superstitious notion. But the belief is deep rooted. In fact there are as many conceptions of witch- gun as there are believers. One figure whose notion of a ‘witch gun’ stands out is the National President of Sierra Leone Indigenous Traditional Healers Union, ‘Dr’. Alhaji Suliaman Kabba. He said “The earliest and deadliest type of witch gun is made out of the husk from rice, but today’s witch guns are made out of gun powder while others are made out of lead. In fact the type of witch gun bullet that is most frequently removed when people are shot is the lead.” Read more here.

Africa: Witchcraft and mental health in Chad

​A recent report by the BBC reveals a threatening dimension of witchcraft belief in Chad. This time, people are not banishing alleged witches to camps as in Ghana, or driving ‘child witches’ to the streets as in Angola, Nigeria or in Congo DRC. Read more here.

Nigeria: Battered, stripped and disgraced: Is this woman truly a witch?

STEPHEN GBADAMOSI reports the ordeal of a woman branded witch by members of a community and how she was subjected to inhuman treatment. Read more here.

Australia: Voodoo sex pest set free from jail

A SERIAL sex offender who once used a bizarre voodoo-type ritual to con a teenager into undressing before sexually assaulting her has been released from jail. Read more here.

Briefing Paper European Parliament: Directorate-General For External Policies of the Union Directorate – Child Witchcraft Allegations and Human Rights

Despite the recording of child witchcraft allegations all over the world as human rights violations, the issue has received relatively little attention within human rights discourse from international organizations, academia or civil society. Child witchcraft accusations are a relatively recent phenomenon that is not among the traditional practices of the countries affected. The reasons why children have become the specific focus of child witchcraft accusations remain partially unclear. A number of general common features can help explain its emergence, including profound societal transformations, religious changes, the collapse of traditional institutions and social problems suffered by both children and adults. To address the phenomenon’s complexity, it is necessary to carefully investigate each specific local context in which the allegations occur and to consider the consequences of the practice by the affected children. To read full report here

Nepal: CEDAW 4th and 5th combined periodic reports

Nepal has submitted its Initial Report in 1997 and Second and Third Combined Report in 2003. This Fourth and Fifth Combined Periodic Report covers the period up to 2008. During this period Nepal has made significant progress in the sphere of protection to, promotion and fulfillment of the rights emanated from the CEDAW. Nepal has ratified Optional Protocol to the CEDAW. It has incorporated many significant provisions in the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007 and enacted many valuable legislations such as the Domestic Violence (Crime and Punishment) Act, the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, National Women Commission Act, the Citizenship Act, An Act to Amend some Nepalese Acts to Maintain Gender Equalities, An Act to Amend some Nepalese Acts relating to the Court Management and Administration of Justice and 11th Amendment of the Country Code. Accordingly many rules are framed and plans, action plans and programmes are being implemented. To read full report click here

Asia: The Asia Foundation 2012 reports

Water shortages and global climate change; long-running sub-national conflicts; human trafficking and gender-based violence; persistent poverty and widening income gaps; weak legal systems and ineffective governance institutions—these are among the critical issues The Asia Foundation is helping to tackle in the 21st century. In fact, The Asia Foundation’s mission, which we refreshed in 2012, has never been in sharper focus: to improve lives, expand opportunities, and help societies flourish across a dynamic and developing Asia. To read full report click here

Nepal: Amnesty report 2013

Nepal’s failure to punish perpetrators of grave human rights violations and crimes under international law committed during the armed conflict which took place between 1996 and 2006 has created an environment where violations continue to be committed with impunity.
Governance and the rule of law have been greatly compromised in Nepal, and the failure of political parties in May 2012 to agree a new Constitution – mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed six years previously, has only exacerbated the problem.
Successive governments’ decisions to withdraw criminal cases against individuals with political affiliations, promote alleged perpetrators of human rights violations to senior leadership positions and propose amnesties which could cover serious crimes, send a clear message to all potential perpetrators that there will be no consequences for their crimes. Sexual and domestic violence has yet to be tackled effectively by the justice sector anywhere in Nepal; impunity for violence against women is widespread. To read full report click here

Nepal: CARE Annual Report 2012

CARE envisions of empowering 50 million women and girls at risk across Asia to take control over their lives by 2020. Building on the need to start in organisationally, it is investing in female leadership across the region to increase women’s leadership in CARE in Asia and the Pacific to at least/more than/not less than 50%. Promoting women’s leadership at all levels is a key priority for CARE Nepal. They were first in the region to start a Women’s Forum that provides a platform for women to express themselves and hone their leadership skills. The first national retreat of the Women’s Forum was organised in April 2012. It was the first of its kind in the 35 years history of CARE Nepal and 55 women staff from CARE Nepal, across the region participated. Read their 2012 Annual Report here

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