Witchcraft & Human Rights Conference
Lancaster UK
19-20 September 2024
Registrations Open
Registrations Open
International Conference on Witchcraft and Human Rights, past, present and future: Implementing UN Resolution 47/8
In July 2021, the UN Human Rights Council passed Resolution 47/8 on the Elimination of harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks (HPAWRA). This marked the culmination of many years’ work by stakeholders internationally, but it also marks the beginning of the next phase of implementation.
Join us for our thought-provoking Conference focused upon how states, organisations, communities and individuals can find ways to respond to Resolution 47/8 in impactful ways.
Take a stand: Join our human rights conference today.
How do we compel states to respond?
What’s being done and what still needs to be done to achieve full implementation?
Explore the pivotal role of civil society and gain insights from diverse responses worldwide. Discover lessons from history on successfully combatting withcraft accusations and ritual attacks. Uncover parallels from similar Resolutions like FGM.
Register now to be a part of this important Conference and share your success stories and hurdles in this vital dialogue!
Help us reach our fundraising goal!
Join us in combatting the global crisis of witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks. In the last decade alone, over 20,000 individuals worldwide have suffered from these horrific practices. Our Network is launching a small grants program to support grassroots organisations fighting on the front lines. Your donation will directly aid survivors, provide legal assistance, and fund crucial awareness campaigns.
Together, we can make a difference!
Recent News
Global Study On Homicide 2023
This Global Study on Homicide is an effort to reveal and delve into the facts behind the violence, to try and identify notable trends and to inform policies and solutions.
Read more on pages 99-100.
Witch hunts persist as a horrifying, deadly reality in pockets of rural India
In 2017, an accusation of witchcraft upended the life of Anaben Pawar, an elderly tribal woman living in a rural village in the Indian state of Gujarat. In Testimony of Ana, Pawar recalls how, following the accusation, villagers paid a witch hunter to perform a brutal ‘ritual’ that left her badly injured and deeply traumatised. Without the resources to flee and with little help from the local police, she and her family continue to live in a perpetual state of anger and fear. The Indian-born, US-based filmmaker Sachin Dheeraj offers both powerful storytelling and vital reporting with his work. Through Pawar’s haunting, courageous words, the film spotlights how a volatile combination of poverty, superstition and deeply engrained sexism allows these witch hunts – responsible for more than 1,500 deaths between 2010 and 2021 – to persist in the country.
Recent Event
Keynote for Expert Workshop TINA AWAHP
(Nov 2023)
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
11:00 AM 1:00 PM (GMT)
Contact
Share your story
If you are a survivor or a supporter and would like us to know privately about your story, or to share it on our Blog, please contact us here. We are particularly interested to hear about initiatives that have worked and any experiences you have had with the UN Resolution.
Announcements
Special Edition of Child Abuse Review (CAR) - Publishing Selected Contributions from the Conference, 20-21 September, 2024
Would you like the opportunity to publish your paper in an international child protection journal?
If so come along to a session led by Professor Lisa Oakley, Associate Editor, who will introduce you to the special issue of the Child Abuse Review (CAR) journal.
The conference organisers have agreed to work with CAR to publish selected contributions which focus on the impact of harmful practices on children related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attack.
Papers and contributions are welcomed from all areas of the world.
The types of publication accepted by CAR include:
· A letter to the editors
· A book review (350 words)
· A training update (1,500 words)
· A reflective practice account or short report (maximum 2,000 words)
· A journal article (3,000/5,000 words)
Further information
If you would like to be considered for inclusion in the special issue please contact:
The conference organisers and/or
Professor Lisa Oakley – Email: l.oakley@chester.ac.uk
International e-conference on Harmful Practices Relating to Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks
On Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th May 2023, an international e-conference was held on Harmful Practices Relating to Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks. This was organised by the School of Legal Studies, REVA University, Bengaluru, India, in collaboration with the Law Department, Staffordshire University, UK and the Department of Languages and Cultures, Lancaster University, UK. The event was a huge success with presenters from all across the globe. The book of abstracts, from the conference, is available here.
Pan African Parliament launched its Guidelines for Parliamentarians on Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks
On 15 March 2023 the Pan African Parliament launched its Guidelines for Parliamentarians on Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks: Towards Eliminating Harmful Practices and other Human Rights Violations. These Guidelines are directed at assisting National Governments in Africa to better prevent harmful practices, as well as providing guidance to Civil Society, the African Union, Traditional and Religious Healers and the International Community. The Guidelines are available here.
Events
Past Events
2021 International Conference on Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV): the Harm and the Healing
Please refer to the conference program here and the SARV Conference Panel links below:
Funding Award from the AHRC (2023)
Over the next two years, The International Network against Witchcraft Accusation and Associated Harmful Practices will partner on a project led by Professor Charlotte Baker, Lancaster University and funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Account.
This project will support our work to raise awareness of witchcraft accusations and associated harmful practices across sectors and countries. It will enable us to collaborate with animators, photographers and creative writers to create a set of materials that will sit alongside testimonies and interviews with subject experts to inform a digital campaign. We will also hold a series of online symposiums to bring together experts working on HPWARA globally to continue to raise awareness, share information on the Resolution, and to discuss responses and initiatives.
News
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PAP reaches milestone with the launch of Guidelines on eliminating harmful practices, human rights violations
Mar 15, 2023
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How Social Turmoil Has Increased Witch Hunts throughout History
Scientific American | May 2023
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Seeing witches: The cult-like church and the crash that rocked Victoria
Simone Fox Koob, Amelia Adams and Laura Sparkes | APRIL 22, 2023
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African Union takes steps to stamp out witchcraft attacks
By Sophie Edwards | 21 March 2023
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Who Cares About The Mental Health Of Victims Of Witch Hunting?
Swati Shikha | Outlook | 01 March 2023
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Witch-hunts and ritual child abuse are a stain on Africa. We must confront them
Joan Nyanyuki | The Guardian |
Funding Award from the AHRC (2023)
Over the next two years, The International Network against Witchcraft Accusation and Associated Harmful Practices will partner on a project led by Professor Charlotte Baker, Lancaster University and funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Account.
This project will support our work to raise awareness of witchcraft accusations and associated harmful practices across sectors and countries. It will enable us to collaborate with animators, photographers and creative writers to create a set of materials that will sit alongside testimonies and interviews with subject experts to inform a digital campaign. We will also hold a series of online symposiums to bring together experts working on HPWARA globally to continue to raise awareness, share information on the Resolution, and to discuss responses and initiatives.
