The problem of making baseless accusations of witchcraft on women has been brought back to the forefront of debate.
The violence and cruelty to which these alleged witches are exposed can on occasion result in death.
Margaret Brew-Ward, a women’s rights campaigner, was a guest on The Probe on Sunday and stated that a very broad range of people are susceptible to being targeted by these kinds of attacks.
She disclosed that even a young student from a rural location who performed exceptionally well on the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was called a witch despite exceeding expectations on the test.
“Recently, there was a case we heard when we visited one of the communities that a girl who got around aggregate 30 in the BECE was [branded a witch]… meanwhile you know in the cities people are striving for aggregate 8, eight 1s and what not.
“Just because in that community, no girl had passed to go to the secondary school, so for a girl to do that, she [must have been a witch]” she explained on JoyNews.
Disheartening is how the Campaign Manager for Action Aid describes this development.
The activist claims that in order for her to receive the necessary support, it required a coordinated effort on the part of her organization and other state entities.
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