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Ghana: Unreconcilable Beliefs: Humanism, Witches, and Human Rights

Before I went to Ghana I had no idea there were witches there. For me, witchcraft accusations were of historical interest, not a contemporary concern. How wrong I was.

Witchcraft accusations are very real. And very destructive.

I am not alone in my ignorance. Most of the people I’ve talked to about my experience visiting Kukuo—one of several camps for alleged witches in northern Ghana—reacted just about the same way as I did: “There are still witchcraft accusations? That many? In the 21st century? Accusations that are taken seriously?”

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Uganda: Former witchdoctor warns against witchcraft

A former witchcraft practitioner has urged Ugandans to stop practicing witchcraft and turning to shrines for “miracles”, saying that the so-called practitioners only fleece them of their hard-earned money.

Paul Jjemba who practiced witchcraft in South Africa addressed hundreds of Christians at Sacred Heart of Mary Cathedral at Lubaga on Sunday. While speaking to the worshippers, Jjemba spoke of ways in which so-called witchdoctors defraud unsuspecting people of their money.

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USA: 10 Contemporary Cases of Human Sacrifice

Human sacrifice is usually viewed as a sadistic and inhumane practice of superstitious ancient cultures. Most of us are sure that it was eradicated over the centuries and is now completely extinct. Sadly, that’s not exactly true. Cases of human sacrifice occasionally pop up even today. Although not en masse, many people are still being butchered to appease spiritual entities and extract favors from the supernatural. 

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Ghana: Witchcraft Accusation and Court System in Ghana

Satu, 82, has been staying at the house of a family member in the suburb of Tamale after she was banished from her community for witchcraft. In Dagomba tradition, witchcraft has a female face- an elderly female face. Another name for a witch, Sounya, is pakurugu, meaning an old woman. Witchcraft accusation is the nightmare of elderly women in the region. Satu is one of the latest victims of this nightmare.
Satu was accused of being responsible for the death of a cousin’s wife. She allegedly used so-tim (witchcraft medicine) to kill her.
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Yemen: Magic and Sorcery Prevent Women from Solving Problems

Unfortunately, Yemen is still considered traditional and primitive. Magic and sorcery spread widely as people consider it to be a part of cultural and intellectual heritage. It is also an accessible way for excluded people to attempt to solve their problems.

This is particularly true for Yemeni women. They are deprived of opportunities in education, and face a huge amount of systemic injustice and violence. As a result, Yemeni women have a great deal of faith in these practices.

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USA: 5 Countries where Deadly Witch Hunts are Real

When we hear the term “witch hunt” today, we typically consider it a metaphor for things like steroid investigations and congressional inquiries. It’s not as if people still hunt down “real” witches the way they did in fiascos like America’s notorious Salem Witch Trials. Or do they? Real witch hunts do, in fact, still happen around the world, and they are shockingly on the rise. Here are some hot spots for these human rights violations.

Read more about the five countries here

USA: Officer Says Suspect Claimed Topeka Beheading For Voodoo Ritual

A former Topeka man will be tried for the 2011 killing of another man whose head was severed in what witnesses described as a voodoo ritual.

29-year-old James Paul Harris is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 50-year-old Topeka resident James Gerety, who was reported missing in March 2011.

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USA: How Cold Weather May Cause Witch Hunts

Women have been executed as witches for centuries, and they still are today in some parts of the world. From Europe to Africa to the Americas, major witch hunts have a surprising catalyst in common: cold weather. Witches have long been thought to control the weather, and it’s been put forth that prolonged cold spells, along with the corresponding illness and crop failure, are major catalysts that have made people turn to the idea of witchcraft

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Zimbabwe: Accused ‘witch’ commits suicide

Being labelled a “witch” by her only son forced a Chipinge woman (57) to cut her life short on Sunday. It is alleged that Janie Magezi drank a pesticide after being accused of being a “witch” by her son, Worried Magezi.

He accused her of being responsible for all the misfortunes he was facing in his life. He was coming from the beerhall and was drunk.  He started shouting at her accusing her of being a “witch” and that she wanted to kill him.

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Zimbabwe: Ntabazinduna women sneak from all-night prayer to bewitch villagers

The case of five women from Luthu Village, who were found naked in Magodini Village in Sigola area two weeks ago in a suspected foiled witchcraft expedition has taken a new twist. 
This follows reports that the women who are said to be members of one of the largest church denominations in Ntabazinduna (name supplied) sneaked from a church camp during the night to embark on a witchcraft expedition in Sigola. This was after they were allegedly invited by their accomplice from that area to come and exhume the body of her relative which they had buried the previous day.
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