This movie scene is from the documentary ”Anja & the Witch Trial” that aired on National Geographic and DR2 in 2019 and from when David, I and our team were called out to a rural area to look into a case where 3 young boys had been accused of being witches.
It was the day we rescued Benjamin, Daniel and Gideon.
Benjamin´s grandfather accused Benjamin, Daniel and Gideon of being witches because his foot was swollen (from an infection ) but he claimed that the boys during the night would bring rats from the witch craft coven to eat from his foot.
Such wild and crazy allegations are due to not only ignorance but also extreme poverty and thereby lack of education.
Remember that witchcraft accusations is not an African “thing”. In 1572 the killings of innocent women, men and children began in Europe with Germany as the witch burning capital of the world.
To be superstitious is not a crime because we all have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. But it becomes a serious problem when a superstitious mindset turn into abuse and killing of innocent children.
At Land of Hope we work very hard to promote the importance of education. Unfortunately, Nigeria is right now ranked the number 1 country in the entire world with the highest number of children out of school.
I face and see violation of child rights every day in Nigeria. Children are deprived their rights to go to school and we have the right to ask for justice. Education cannot wait❗️
Please support Land of Hope with education so we can send as many children to school as possible.
We have finally installed a new payment system so you can make a donation in your own currency 🌍💵
Check it out here: https://selvbetjening.landofhope.dk/side.asp?wkid=10034&side=39&locale=1
Love from Land of Hope ❤️
Why I established Land of Hope:
Did you know that by 2008, it was estimated that 15.000 children are branded witches every year in Nigeria ?
Did you know that children branded as witches are being tortured and killed ? Most of them burned alive !
The causes of witch accusations are many. It can be due to death and illness in a family. Vulnerable children with physical disabilities or illnesses are more likely to be branded witches. Even a child being stubborn or lazy can be branded a witch.
The stigma of children as witches is a recent phenomenon in the Niger Delta region, which suddenly exploded in the 1990s.
In Akwa Ibom ( the State Land of Hope is working ) the Pentecostal Christianity believes are mixed with local tribal religions to a deadly cocktail that involves belief in witches and exorcism.
Did you know that Nigeria’s criminal code prohibits accusing, or even threatening to accuse, someone of being a witch ?
The Child Rights Act of 2003 makes it an offence to subject any child to physical or emotional torture, or submit them to any inhuman or degrading treatment.
However what good is this piece of legislation when it is not implemented ?
Let me also point out that witch craft accusations is NOT an “African thing” ! For centuries, the term witch doctor has been used to describe someone who is believed to heal by using magic or witchcraft. Some historians claim that these early physicians and many of the potions they created probably led to modern medicine.
In 1559, Denmark became the first country in Scandinavia to have official witch trials, and in 1571 the first witch was found guilty and brought to the stake to be burned alive. The height of the witch-hunts was during the period 1617-1637 spurred on by a royal ordinance issued by Christian IV condemning witchcraft and declaring all those found guilty to be burned.
It is estimated that around 2,000 witches were tried in Denmark with around half of them being executed.
This is 2021 and thousand of innocent children are killed every year. Help us stop it by:
1. Follow Land of Hope on social media platforms. Link to Instagram: https://lnkd.in/gW88Nmws ✔️
2. Become a member of Land of Hope: https://lnkd.in/gsuAzDJx ✔️
3. Make a donation: https://lnkd.in/eYKS8qp ✔️
#landofhope #spreadawareness #childrennotwitches
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