Disbandment of the Bonyase Witch camp in the Northern Region & National Conference on Witchcraft Accusations and Human Rights Abuses in Ghana

Witchcraft allegations and the belief in other forms of spiritual influences have caused many people, especially women, to suffer dehumanizing human rights violations and cultural violence in many African countries.

In Ghana,the treatment of suspected witches includes physical and psychological abuse, public ridicule, economic discrimination,denial of opportunities and resources necessary for a normal and dignified life, banishment to isolation centres traditionally known as witch camps, and sometimes death.

As a signatory to international legal agreements such as theConvention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and many others, Ghana has a legal obligation to protect all her citizens, especially women and children, against any form of discrimination and human rights violations.

However, even after passing the Domestic Violence Act (Act 732) in 2007 and the Mental Health Act (Act 846) in 2012, Ghana has the unenviable record of being the only country in the world that has witch camps where alleged witches, mostly older women, are kept.

There are six of such camps in the Northern region: Kukuo, Gnani-Tindang, Kpatinga,Nabuli, Gambaga and the Bonyase camps. All together, the inmates number about 681, most of whom are poor and vulnerable old women between the ages of 60 and 70 years. The Gnani-Tindang camp has 42 male inmates, accounting for 19.6% of the total population of the camp.

The conditions in the camps aredeplorable where potable water and food remain unaffordable luxuries. Some of the inmates live in the camps with their children and grandchildren who help them in their daily chores and small-scale farming.

It is for this reason that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with Action Aid, Ghana and IBIS, Ghana is hosting a conference to draw attention to some of the most vulnerable and prosecuted individuals in our nation; those persons who fall victim to witchcraft accusations.

Under the theme “Protecting the Vulnerable: Witchcraft Accusations and Human Rights Abuse in Ghana”, it is anticipated that the conference will draw national attention to the issue, providing greater understanding of the problem and garnering public support and action in discontinuing the practice.

The conference which will take place at the International Conference Center, on Wednesday December, 10, 2014, will seek to approach the problem through a gendered lens in order to draw attention to the ongoing human rights violations, and inequitable gendered power relations which continue to fuel the practice.

It is important to recognise that witchcraft is a problem disproportionately affecting women, particularly older females. Also at high risk are women and children with disabilities, and mental health problems.It will also provide an unprecedented opportunity for key stakeholders to propose tangible cross disciplinary recommendations to ending the practice in Ghana.

To further affirm the nation’s commitment to ending human rights abuses associated with witchcraft accusations, one of the six witch camps in the Northern Region (Bonyase witch camp) will be formally closed on 15th December, 2014.

This process is being coordinated by Action Aid Ghana and its partner Songtaba, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection as well as the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs.

This disbandment will also witness the reintegration of over 50 alleged witches into communities of their choice, increasing the total number of reintegrated victims from one hundred and ninety-nine (199) to two hundred and forty-nine (249) over the past year.Government and other stakeholders will continue to work to ensure the full and total liberation of alleged witches in all the camps.