End Human Rights Abuses Against Alleged Witches

Dear Readers

The quarter has been a very impactful one, as SONGTABA brings to cherish donors’ worm seasonal greetings from Ghana and brings updates on the project End Human Rights Abuses Against Persons Accused of Witchcraft. Throughout November to 10^th of December was the 16 days of activism where Songtaba in collaboration with other civil society organisations to launched a campaign on ending gender-based violence and creating more public awareness on the dangers of violence.

During this quarter, SONGTABA collaborated with other likeminded human rights organizations across the globe in celebrating this year 16 days of activism in Tamale to end all forms of gender based violence. The celebration brought together some of the allege witches, women groups, media and the youth with the theme” Ending Femicide, physical, sexual and emotional abused”. The celebration was used to highlighting the poor and dehumanizing conditions that alleged witches live in as well as depression the poor quality of life that they are faced with.in the various camps in Ghana.

It offer the allege witches an opportunity to engage various stakeholders to have a sustainable ways of ending gender based violence such as the drafting of by-laws from both traditional and religious leaders in most of the feeder communities. They also as a matter agency added their voice to the ongoing call for the passage of an anti-witchcraft law to protect and prevent women and girls against future accusations.

This 16 day of activism was used to build alliance with interested groups especially the youth who are mostly in fore front of abusing suspected alleged witches. These youth groups were mobilized to organize street flash mob exercises to educate the public on the dangers caused by false accusations as well how to respect the rights of persons accused of witchcraft. Key advocacy messages were developed and matched round principal street of the Northern Regional Capital and made accessible to the public.

The campaign was climaxed with a media engagement forum where all the civil society organization part of the event, youth groups women groups and the alleged witches engaged the media and issued a statement to government with very clear demand of passage of the an-witchcraft law.

ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY

The quarter has been a very fruitful one as SONGTABA brings to it cherished donors  warm greetings for their continuous support to end gender based violence. The quarter has been an impactful one because one of the women accused of witchcrafts has finally been reintegrated back to her home community.

 Mariama, 85 years and she has stayed at the kukuo camp for almost 40years at the mercy of several challenges until her reintegration back to kumlan fong a suburb of Bimbilla community where she was accused. This made her to walk for 12 kilometers to seek  refuge at the kukuo camp which was the only safe place for her at the time of accusation. Your kind donation has supported SONGTABA to hold series of engagement meetings with her family and other traditional leaders to get the necessary process done before her reintegration.

She was accused of been behind the death of a 9 year old grandchild and she was banished from Kumlan fong. According to her, she has no knowledge of the death of the boy that got the youth of the community agitated and to attack her.

She has was staying at the camp with her granddaughter who came to support her do some household choirs. She shared her experience during her stay in the camp,

life was really very difficult for me when it comes to meeting my basic needs, I quite remember  how I felt sick and I didn’t have money and support from any of my family members, it was my granddaughter and other community members who picked me to the clinic for treatment. My entire family rejected me when I needed them most. There were instances I have to go support some farmers and sometime I have to stay in their farms just to remove the remainings just to have my evening meal. At the camp I didn’t know what three square meals were because I could not afford it. One of my saddest moment were when I have to stand for three hours because it was seriously raining and my room was liking which prevented me from sleeping.  Access to water was very difficult because I have to walk for 3 kilometers which had a negative impact on my health.

At the camp I felt the whole world was against me looking at what I went through, I therefore hope that, no humanbeing should go through what I went through, because it was inhuman and nobody should be made to experience that.

Currently, I feel like am out of bondage because am going to be reunited with my family which will help me meet my basic needs such water, shelter and food. I want to thank the donors for their support and hope that other women will have the opportunity to be reintegrated.

The process of reintegration is very cumbersome but it is worthy indicating the gradual reduction of these women at the camp. It is our hope and dream that, all the women will eventually be reintegrated back to their families and communities. The long term vision is to get this camps dibanded and with your kind donations that can be made possible

Thank you

Dear readers!

It’s been very interesting this quarter as SONGTABA brings to cherished donors a worm greeting from Northern Region of Ghana where Songtaba is implementing End Human Rights Abuses against Alleged Witches Project. In the Post Covid-19 era Songtaba begun to explore the relationship between witchcraft accusation and mental health. What is the state of mind are these women living in especially as the camps are in very deplorable conditions. Songtaba commissioned a study to investigate. The study revealed that 53% of the women accused of witchcraft and living in the camps suffer depression and a results will require some psycho-social support.

Also their quality of life was also measure using the World Health Organisation standard which revealed very poor living condition where not a single woman in the camp had an improved quality of life. In this regard over 90% of the women indicated they wanted to be reintegrated back to their home communities or communities where they can be safe. Based on this report the team begun our visits to the camps during the period under review starting with the kukuo camp profile women who were ready and willing to be reintegrated back to their home communities. Currently, we have profile two of these women at the kukuo camp who express interest in reintegrating back to their home communities. One of the women by name Hasia who is 68 years from Waribugu community and has stayed at the kukuo camp for the past three years narrates how life confronts her in the camp which has necessitated her to opt for reintegration.

What really got me to the kukuo camp was as a result of the death of someone son for which I don’t have any knowledge but I was the very suspected and I was accused. The moment I was accused, the youth did nor even give me choice to explain myelf but I was instantly sent out of the community.I still my home and I want to go back

The camp has been like a bondage for me for the past three years due to the absence of certain basic social facilities such as water, food, clothing and health care. Sometime I have to relied on the benevolence of other people for survival and to a large extend very difficult in getting at least my two square meals a day. Not only has these things impacted my life but my inability to re-unite with my family is what I missed for very long time. I felt there have taking away one of the precious rights away from me each time I look back and what am going through.

I will be very happy when am reintegrated because it will offer me an opportunity to farm and also do petty trading to support myself. When I was at home, I use to farm crops such as groundnuts, maize and soy beans which I wish to continue. When I am at home my children can give me decent health care needs and other basic needs?

I thank Songtaba and their supporters for the good works they have done in the past reintegrating other women. I have heard their stories and it is one of the motivating factors for me also to go home. Hasia Narrates!

Dear Cherished Donor!

Season Greetings from Songtaba

It has been another interesting quarter and SONGTABA brings to it cherish donors update on our project to End violence Against Persons Accused of Witchcraft. During this quarter under review SONGTABA would like to share with readers some of its mile stone achievement over the quarter on Kalari, a reintegrated woman from the Kukuo camp.

Kalari, 92 years from Nakpali in the Zubzugu district of Northern part of Ghana who has been staying in the kukuo alleged witches camp for the past 27 years. She was accused by her son on the account that he saw the mother in his dream after she gave him groundnut to farm. This dream was interpreted to mean a threat to the boy’s life and so the  entire community members accused her for attempting to kill an innocent young boy. After several harassments, She had to run for her dear life and sought refuge at the kukuo alleged witches camp where she stayed until her reintegration in January 2022. The entire process which started in the last two quarters of 2021 saw Songtaba holding several dialogue meetings with family and community opinion leaders to reconsider their decision to accept the woman back because she is very old now and needs more family love and support than the dehumanizing conditions that she is living in.

She shares her experience at the camp: To day I am a very happy woman because I will be leaving this death trap I call a room at the cam. When it rains, I don’t sleep until the rain stop. I will also have enough time to rest because am very weak and can’t venture in to any profitable venture to earn an income for my livelihood. What really makes me happy about my reintegration is my grandchildren both old and young who I miss so much and I can’t wait to see them. In fact, feeding was very difficult for me because I could not make all three-square meals a day but all the suffering that I have gone through for the past 27 years will soon get a relief at home.

For me no body deserve to be here considering what we go through at the camp from scarcity of water, feeding, housing and even issues with our health. I hope and pray that, every woman will have an opportunity to be reintegrated.

I want to thank SONGTABA and their donors for facilitating my reintegration back to family, am most gratefully.

Dear  Sponsors!

Songtaba brings you warm greetings from Ghana and excited to bring you update on our programme on ending violence against perosns accused of witchcraft. In our last report, Songtaba reported on the progress made with regards to profiling of some women living at alleged witches camp to be re-integrated after several years of living these camps.

Arishetu is one of the women who lived in the Kukuo alleged witches camp for 12 years. her story like many other women in the camp has being a very sad one where she was accused of being a witches and thus leading to the community rejecting her.

arriving at the Kukuo camp was like a safe haeven where she felt welcomed by other women who have suffred similar faith. eventhough welcomed to the Kukuo camp but she was not happy Arishetu narrated. 

when Songtaba started this re-integration programme, I really wanted to go but was still afraid of the stigma or possible reaccusation but  I had to gather the courage to get my name profiled for the next batch of re-integration. Songtaba gave assurance of the fact that before any re-integration a lot of dialgue will take place among key stakeholders for some consensus reached and be assured of the woman's safety before sending her home. That is how come I joined the re-integration- Arishetu further narrates

with the support of Arishetu's son whom Songtaba re-integration team establish contact with to start the engagement meetings for the re-integration, held a meeting to firts of all identify a safe community to re-integrate his mother to and to arrange accomodation.

after the successful enagement of key family members of Arishetu and finally reaching a consensu with them to accept her back home and making all necessary accomadtion arrangements in Tamale, attention was now turn to the camp to engage the chief priest on the logistcal arrangements for the rituals to be completed to release her to go home.

All the necessary ritual were completed and Arishetu was now free to go home after living in the Kukuo alleged witches camp for 12 years. Our next report will focus on her life after re-integration