The Pan-African Parliament, the South Africa-based legislative body of the African Union, has adopted new guidelines to help prevent harm and abuse experienced by people accused of witchcraft and the victims of ritual attacks.
The parliament met last week in Johannesburg to officially launch a wide-ranging set of guidelines that aim to provide governments across the continent with strategies to help tackle often dangerous superstitions linked to witchcraft beliefs.
The proposals include legal steps such as criminalizing violent acts which result from accusations of witchcraft as well as outlawing the trafficking of body parts used in rituals. The directives also introduce nonlegal efforts such as community education and awareness campaigns to address misguided beliefs that perpetuate witchcraft accusations.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.