Name: Nigerian aid groups help children accused of witchcraft rebuild lives
Uploaded: 2025-11-14T03:14:01.977Z
Duration: 2 min 7 s
Description: Tens of thousands of Nigerian children have been accused of witchcraft over the past 20 years, resulting in abandonment and brutal violence. Despite laws preventing witchcraft-related child abuse, activists say it’s still widespread and aid groups are left to help children rebuild their lives.

Tens of thousands of Nigerian children have been accused of witchcraft over the past 20 years, resulting in abandonment and brutal violence. Despite laws preventing witchcraft-related child abuse, activists say it’s still widespread and aid groups are left to help children rebuild their lives.

Akwa Ibom

Children in Nigeria, particularly in the southern states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, continue to face accusations of witchcraft, often resulting in violence, abandonment, and social stigma. Despite federal and state laws prohibiting such abuse, aid organizations estimate that over 30,000 children have been accused in the past two decades.

Groups like the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRAN) offer shelter, education, and rehabilitation for affected children, helping them recover and pursue academic and professional goals. The phenomenon is fueled by traditional beliefs and the actions of some pastors and witch doctors, who profit from exorcism services.

Nigerian aid groups help children accused of witchcraft rebuild lives

This boy was just nine years old when his mother attacked him with a machete and left him for dead. He'd been accused of witchcraft by a pastor at his local church in Nigeria. His identity has been hidden to protect him from stigma. The boy's life was saved by a passer-by after he managed to crawl to the side of the road. Now 13, he lives and goes to school at a centre run by the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network, or CRAN. Ima Tauma is the programme manager for the aid group. If a child is being accused of witchcraft, probably the child will be beaten, abandoned and the child will roam the streets. Although Nigeria's government has passed laws at both the federal and state level to prevent witchcraft-related child abuse, activists say it's still widespread. CRAN estimates that more than 30,000 Nigerian children have faced accusations of witchcraft over the past 20 years. The problem is most prevalent in the southern coastal states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River. These areas are majority Christian, but traditional beliefs that attribute adversity to supernatural causes such as possession by malevolent spirits are also widespread. The phenomenon is also driven by evangelical pastors and witch doctors who offer to exorcise children possessed by Satan for a fee. It can be a lucrative business. Aid organisations like CRAN say education is key to helping accused children build a better future. Faith was 13 when Hart accused her of being a witch responsible for the family's misfortunes. Now 19 and having fled to a CRAN shelter, she's studying science and laboratory technology and hopes to train as a medical doctor. As for the boy attacked with a machete, he's also studying hard. He says he wants to be a lawyer when he grows up so he can sue his mother.

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