The West African nation of Ghana is living a literal witch hunt: hundreds of elderly women suspected of witchcraft and sorcery are facing violent reprisals that can escalate to lynching and murder.
Amnesty International asked Monday (14) for the Ghanaian government to criminalize these accusations and the ritual attacks.
Back in 2023, the parliament passed legislation that made it a criminal offense ‘to declare, accuse, name or label someone as a witch’ but the bill is yet to be signed into law.
CBS News reported:
“’The accusations, which can lead to threats, physical attacks or even death, usually start within the family or among community members following a tragic event such as an illness or a death’, Amnesty said.
‘Older women living in poverty, with health conditions or disabilities are at greater risk, as well as women who do not conform to stereotypical gender roles. In some cases, accusers even base their claims on having had a bad dream about a person’, it added.”
The belief and practice of witchcraft is widespread in rural communities on the west African coast, including Ghana.
Two men in Zambia were just charged with ‘practicing witchcraft and possessing charms intended to harm the country’s president’.
“People accused of witchcraft are usually banished from their home areas and in Ghana they seek refuge in camps run by traditional priests ‘where they remain until they die or a family member or another community accepts them’, the rights monitor said.”
The government in Ghana does not provide food, safe housing and clean water for the alleged witches.
“’The authorities should pass legislation specifically criminalizing witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks, including protective measures for potential victims’, said Genevieve Partington, Amnesty’s country director in Ghana.”
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The post WITCH HUNT: Elderly Women Accused of Witchcraft and Sorcery Face Attacks and Even Murder in Ghana: Amnesty International appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.