100s of Kids being Abused,accused of Witchcraft across the UK (Graphic Image)

Victoria Climbié (RIGHT) and her killer aunt Marie Therese Kouao

Hundreds of children being accused of witchcraft 'as belief in demonic possession spreads across the UK'

By Rob Cooper

Last updated at 12:36 PM on 14th May 2011

Hundreds of witchcraft abuse cases are going unreported across the country each year, it has been revealed.

Officials believe child protection officers are only tipped off in the most extreme cases when a child's life has been put in danger.

Just 38 cases have been reported in the last five years - and it is feared that they represent just the tip of the iceberg.Hundreds of children may be left to starve, beaten and having chili rubbed into their eyes.

Youngsters born with physical and mental difficulties are most at risk from abuse.Relatives often believe that the children are 'possessed' and the torture is carried out as a form of exorcism.

Extreme evangelical Christian churches - most prevalent in the Democratic Republic of Congo - have grown significantly in recent years and their influence is thought to have spread to groups in the UK.

A decade ago the death of Victoria Climbie suffered appalling injuries at the hands of her aunt and boyfriend who believed she was possessed by the devil, sparking huge public anger.

Victoria

The eight-year-old had 128 injuries on her body in a case described by a pathologist as one of the worst ever child abuse cases.

She tied up, hit with bike chains and attacked with lighted cigarettes.

As officials try to combat the extreme beliefs, social services have been issued with a new set of guidelines to help them deal with youngsters from religious and ethnic minority backgrounds who could suffer abuse, The Times revealed.

The Metropolitan Police are working on their scheme to deal with religious-based child abuse to place extra emphasis on dealing with tackling witchcraft and abuse.

Witchcraft is most often found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding countries.

Romain Matondo, who works at the safeguarding children programme at the Congolese Family Centre, north London, said often it is not biological parents who are the abusers.

He told The Times: 'At first maybe it is swearing and shouting at the child, what we would call emotional abuse.

'But if there is church involvement, it sometimes means it doesn't stop there, but becomes physical and very violent as the church tries to get rid of the evil spirit.'

He added that children can be slapped, starved or beaten with spoons all to get the spirit out.

A report yesterday revealed that it is the poorest children that are most at risk of beind told they are 'possessed' because relatives are more likely to be influenced by faith leaders.

SOURCE: The Daily Mail

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BREAKING NEWS ON SKY: MAUAJI YA ALBINO TANZANIA

Albino Girl Killed For Witchcraft
Tuesday, October 21 02:52 pm
Sky News
A gang murdered and mutilated a 10-year-old albino girl in Tanzania - because they wanted to sell her body parts to witch doctors. Skip related content

Esther Charles was killed in Shilela in the western region of the African country on Sunday.

She died just hours after President Jakaya Kikwete called for a crackdown on gangs, saying the killing of albinos has "stained the country's good image".

At least 26 other albinos, mostly women and children, have been killed in different parts of the east African country over the past year.

Albinos lack melanin pigment in the skin, eyes and hair, which protects from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

But witch doctors believe they have magical powers to bring fortune, and discrimination against albinos is rife across sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2007, police in Tanzania reported several cases of people digging up the bodies of children to remove organs, in many cases the genitals and eyes, to make potions used in rituals.

Shilela councillor Joseph Manyara told a rally organised by the Tanzania Albino Society (TAS): "It is utterly stupid for some people to believe that albinos have magic powers and their parts can make them rich.

"People should be provided with education to understand that it is only through hard working that they can prosper in life and not through selling albinos' body parts."

Police said they have arrested 47 people suspected to be involved in the killings this year.

But TAS chairman Ernest Kimaya blasted authorities over the speed at which the murders were solved.

He said: "We are yet to witness any convictions and incidents of the murder of albinos are on the rise."

There are about 150,000 albinos in the country, and more than 8,000 of them are registered with the TAS.

Some families kill albino babies upon birth, Tanzanian authorities say.

And authorities in Kenya and Burundi, where albino killings have also been reported in recent months, have started to give added protection.

Some reports say albino skin is prized in the Democratic Republic of Congo, another troubled African nation where superstition is high.

SOURCE: Sky News

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