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Witchcraft allegations against children in Africa have received increasing international attention in the first decade of the 21st century. The phenomenon of witch-hunts in Sub-Saharan Africa is ancient, but the problem is reportedly "on the rise", due to "urbanization, poverty, conflict and fragmenting communities". ==Practice== Recent reports by UNICEF, UNHCR, Save The Children and Human Rights Watch〔Bussien, Nathaly et al. 2011. Breaking the spell: Responding to witchcraft accusations against children, in New Issues in refugee Research (197). Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR〕〔Cimpric, Aleksandra 2010. Children accused of witchcraft, An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa. Dakar, Senegal: UNICEF WCARO〕〔Molina, Javier Aguilar 2006. The Invention of Child Witches in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Social cleansing, religious commerce and the difficulties of being a parent in an urban culture. London: Save the Children〕〔Human Rights Watch 2006. Children in the DRC. Human Rights Watch report, 18 (2)〕 have also highlighted the violence and abuse towards children accused of witchcraft in Africa. Accusations of witchcraft in Africa are a very serious matter as the witch is culturally understood to be the epitome of evil and the cause of all misfortune, disease and death. Consequently, the witch is the most hated person in African society and subjected to punishment, torture and even death.〔Mbiti, John 1975. Introduction to African Religion (2nd rev. ed.). Oxford: Heinemann: 117-118, 165.〕〔Moreau, A. Scott 1990. The World of the spirits: A Bible study in the African context. Nairobi:Evangel, p. 116.〕 The victims of witchcraft accusations in African society have usually been the elderly, the disabled, albinos and anyone who was considered different.〔Goliat, Aubrey J, Frank B. Phiri and Erwin van der Meer 2010. Preliminary findings on the problem of Child Witchcraft Accusations in Malawi. Blantyre, Malawi: Africa Outreach.〕 In recent years due to the impact of rapid urbanisation, economic decline, as well as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, children have become more and more the victims of witchcraft accusations, especially orphans. Child victims of witchcraft accusations are more vulnerable than adult victims as they cannot defend themselves as they are confronted with physical and psychological abuse from their family and community. Children accused of witchcraft may be subjected to violent exorcism rituals by African Pentecostal-Charismatic pastors who mix Christianity with African witchcraft beliefs. Such exorcism may include incarceration, starvation and being made to drink hazardous substances. In other cases accused children are expelled and end up living on the streets, are trafficked and in some instances they are killed.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Witchcraft accusations against children in Africa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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