From brewing potions and watching pictures come alive before your eyes, to learning spells to protect yourself against all enemies, being a witch seems to be as exciting and enchanting as the Harry Potter books promise through the young hero's trials and tribulations as he saves the world from evil. But in reality, or at least the Muggle reality as we know it, witchcraft is far less glamorous, and those accused of dabbling in the occult are shunned from society and become extremely vulnerable to traffickers because of the demonic powers they supposedly possess.
The trafficking of children accused of being witches is a growing, but infrequently discussed, problem in Africa. When children are accused of being witches, they are beaten, abused, and sometimes even killed in exorcism rituals as family and community members try to force the demons out of their souls. In some instances, these children are forced to sit on open fires or have nails hammered into their skulls. They are pushed out onto the streets, away from their families, with no place to turn, and fall into the hands of traffickers looking to exploit their vulnerability.
Posted via web from Firesaw
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