What was shared and learnt at the Second International Conference on Witchcraft and Human Rights?

Observations by The Working Committee of INAWARA

The International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks (INAWARA) held its second international conference on 19-20 September 2024 in the UK’s sunny Lancaster. The focus of the conference was on how states, organisations, communities and individuals are finding ways to respond to Resolution 47/8 in impactful ways. Over 50 people from across the globe, including a wide range of academics, activists and representatives of civil society organisations, came together to share updates and to plan how to further advance the agenda.

Here we summarise some of the key takeaways we took from the conference:

• Very similar patterns of abuse across the globe

While there is variety in the classes of victims in different parts of the globe (in some places predominantly children are accused, in some places it’s old women, in some places its whole families), many cases follow very similar patterns: the accusation comes from within the family; the victims are vulnerable for one reason or another; the accusation is triggered by death or sickness; the numbers of cases are exacerbated by poverty and uncertainty; a key role is played by witch-doctors or religious leaders (spiritual entrepreneurs); state institutions turn a blind eye; and the narratives mutate and adapt to new circumstances. These similarities suggest that it is a human phenomenon that is shaped by local cultures and spurred by political and economic contexts. The economic dimension of the issue was a frequent theme, and an aspect that is often unhelpfully shadowed by framing it as a cultural issue.

A suggested action item was collaborative development of a curriculum and training materials on the issue for students, public servants and others that can be used across many different national contexts. It could be used to dispel myths, educate about the global nature of the issue and provide practical tools, such as ways of having respectful conversations on the topic.

• Governments and institutions are largely missing in action in addressing the problem

There is a real absence of leadership at the international, regional and national levels in addressing the issue (with some notable exceptions of course). Even where governments or regional or international bodies do pass legislation or enact policies or guidelines or resolutions (such as the UN Resolution or the Pan African Parliament Guidelines), there is a lack of institutional follow-through to give it meaningful effect. Laws are often not actually enforced, or complemented with prevention programs and training of those meant to implement them (such as police and judges).  Further, bureaucratic channels within institutions such as government departments and universities make getting any momentum on the issue extremely challenging.

It was agreed that governments and international organisations and agencies, including the UN, should be called upon to implement the resolution and also to make clear statements condemning all forms of harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks.  There is clearly an urgent need for funding from the UN or elsewhere to enable NGOs and others to scale up their work.

• The vast majority of work that is being done is being done by small NGOs and committed individuals 

It was also noted that this burden being placed on small community and faith based organisations and individuals takes its toll on individuals and there are limits to their resilience. The work in the space can be highly emotionally draining and also dangerous.  

In response, it was suggested there is a greater need to support capacity building of activists, and for advocates to be better enabled to work together. One possibility to be explored is an activist exchange program whereby different activists work in different organisations for a period of time so as to share experiences and wisdom.  

• A major obstacle is lack of data to understand the extent and trends

A consistent lament throughout was the lack of robust data to understand the extent of harm and trends in cases, both within countries and across the globe. Good data is a major factor in terms of advocacy and putting pressure on policy makers. There is also a lack of rigorous evaluations of intervention programs and on the passage of new legislative frameworks, in order to determine how impactful they are and why.

One conclusion from this insight is there is a need more alignment between activists and universities. There is also a need for the development of standardised data collection processes and reporting so that data can be collated in a way that enables comparison across country. The potential for AI to assist in this process was discussed, and the FGM Centre is going to update their current map with the 2019 data collected for the Concept Note to support the Resolution, while the International Network explores funding opportunities to develop a global database.  

• Ongoing debate about the value of seeking to change beliefs as opposed to focusing on behaviour

There was a lively (and respectful) debate throughout the conference about whether the focus should be on changing belief systems through encouraging reflection and critical thinking, or on addressing the problematic behaviour that stemmed from those belief systems. Ultimately, it seemed to be agreed there was room for both approaches, and that there is a need to work with people with a wide variety of different views and beliefs. Changing both beliefs and behaviours is a complex, long-term process that requires lots of building blocks and for many different actors and organisations to play a role.

• Relative agreement about the need to work with compassion and on prevention rather than adopting a punitive approach

It was generally agreed that a highly punitive approach was unlikely to gain traction, and instead a focus needs to be on prevention and working through dialogue and with an educational mindset. There are clear limits of a carceral approach, especially as it is often family members who are the accusers and so there is great reluctance to report. A fear of the police and of victims being treated as troublemakers was a consistent theme.

• Changes observed over the past 10 years or so of advocacy:

• Culture is being used less as a justification in many places

• There is more acceptance that it is a real problem that needs to be addressed.

We also launched the Photography Exhibition at the conference. Over 250 people viewed the exhibition, and many gave extremely positive feedback on how it raised their awareness about an issue they did not even know existed. The exhibition is now available to travel, so if you are interested in hosting the exhibition, please contact Charlotte Baker at c.baker@lancaster.ac.uk.

Further materials from the conference, including the PowerPoints, will be soon made available on this website. 

In addition, the interviews and filming that were done during the conference will be turned into a podcast and mini film that will also be made available on the website.