AFRICA/DR CONGO - More than 70,000 children accused of witchcraft and persecuted

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - More than 70,000 Congolese children were tortured, abandoned, killed, because accused of witchcraft. Only in the region of Kinsasha 30,000 street children were removed from their families for this reason. Much of the population, from teachers, to professionals, religious leaders, believe in witchcraft. It is a widespread phenomenon in the bantu culture and difficult to eradicate, according to the complaints of various organizations working to combat it (see Fides 20/09/2014). The main perpetrators of these young victims are parents themselves, preachers of some "independent" churches that do not correspond to any hierarchical structure, religious doctrine or practice. The "pastors" of these churches receive donations from family members for each exorcism practiced, ranging from 300 to $ 2,000. Some of the exorcisms consist of locking up the victims in the house for days without food or water to prepare them to free themselves from evil spirits. Then the children are presented to the pastor who begins a ritual of shouting, singing, dancing that continues until the children fall to the ground because they are exhausted. The activists who are fighting against the practice of black magic are faced with general indifference, from silence to the passivity of the authorities, and accuse the police of hindering the reporting of cases. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 22/09/2014)