Posts by whrin_admin

Violence Against Women Accused of Sorcery In Papua New Guinea

Every now and then a case of serious human rights abuse occurs that seems to capture the imagination of the global media and wider community. This has certainly been the case in Papua New Guinea, where the recent killing of Kepari Leniata was widely reported around the world. Kepari was accused of bewitching a six-year old boy and then stripped, tortured with a hot iron rod, doused in petrol, and burned on a pile of rubbish and car tyres. The photo taken of this terrible crime has been seen by countless people around the world and led to the government being petitioned by the UN and Amnesty, amongst many other groups. In response to this the government recently repealed the sorcery act and passed a new law to allow the death penalty to be applied to such cases.

Photographer – Vlad Sokhin – has captured some incredibly powerful images of this problem, which have been used by Amnesty to raise awareness of this issue. I thought that I was fairly resilient to being horrified by images after having seen some terrible cases of abuse over the years but even I was moved close to tears by seeing some of these shots.Please see brief report from Vlad below and feel free to contact him on vladsokhin@gmail.com or see his website www.vladsokhin.com if you need any further information on his work.

 

Sorcery-related-violence is widespread in Papua New Guinea. In the Highlands Region of PNG witch-hunts occur almost in every province. Locals believe in black magic, often accusing random women and men of causing the death of someone from the village.

According to the Amnesty International, at least 50 people were killed in ‘sorcery’ attacks in 2008. Despite the fact that men can also be victims, it is six times more likely for women. When those ‘sanguma’ (witches) people being tortured, locals cut their bodies with machetes and axes, burning them with hot iron bars, forcing to admit that they were involved in witchcraft. If the victims survive, they would be expelled from the community permanently. Despite this widespread violence, the PNG Government does not have a program to help victims of sorcery-related violence nor provides any shelter for those women and men. It is very rare such cases are brought to court and sometimes even police are involved in witch hunt, supporting the perpetrators, not the victims.

DRC: Exorcising Spirits Instead of Exercising Rights? The Recent Phenomenon of Child Witch Accusation in the DRC

Undergraduate dissertation by Sancha Cadogan-Poole of the University of East London. Read full paper here

Kenya: Man’s futile effort to repossess stolen belongings through a witch doctor

The witch doctor, popularly known as Professor Maji Marefu had threatened that whoever was responsible for the crime will find the stomach swollen to an extent of not being able to eat anything by five in the evening on Tuesday. Read more here.

United Kingdom: Male witch, 62, avoids jail after photos of Scottish ex-girlfriend, 30, engaging in a threesome and labelled ‘The Shetland Dogger’ were sent to her mum

Graham Allen Robertson prepared CDs of illicit images after break-up. But court heard they were posted by a friend who found them in his house. Male witch said he only made CDs as ‘cathartic ritual’ and did not send them. Read more here.

USA: There’s an Actual Pagan Academy IN New York City Training Adults to Become Real Life Witches

The academy, according to information on its web site, offers affordable training, which includes coverage in the “Path of Wicca,” Starlight Vision Series, Herbal Intensive Series, tarot and pendulum use and many other elements important to the practice of Wicca. The educational facility claims to be the first of its kind in New York City. Read more here.

Nigeria: Juju failed me, poly student arrested for rape laments

The police had paraded the student, Kunle Arelepo and an alleged accomplice, Oluwaseun Komolafe, both ND II students of Crown Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; a security guard with the institution, Mr Seyi Adanbioje; a proprietor of a nursery and primary school in Ado-Ekiti, who allegedly raped an 11-year-old pupil of his school, Mr Babatope Ibitoye and a 17-year-old boy, who allegedly defiled a three-year-old girl. Read more here.

West Africa: Africa’s exiled ‘witches’

In West Africa, many people believe in supernatural powers. Every year, thousands of women are branded as witches and persecuted. They can only survive in isolated villages. Read more here.

United Kingdom: Witchcraft suspected in mysterious pony attack

Witchcraft is suspected in the mysterious cutting of a Shetland pony’s mane. Read more here.

Nigeria: Obinna Akukwe: Abuja-Lokoja highway and the blood-sucking witches in Aso Rock

Abuja-Lokoja road has become the most dangerous highway in Nigeria due to the numerous death from accident and blood spillage of Nigerians. It is obvious to spiritually discernible persons that the constant death on Abuja-Lokoja road is a deliberate conspiracy between the local witches and the politicians in Aso Rock, National Assembly and Federal Ministry of Works. Read more here.

USA: SC man cleared of burning home he said had witches

State mental health officials had recommended that Clark be found not guilty by reason of insanity after he had a competency evaluation and said he thought witches were in his house. Read more here.

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