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Helen
Ukpabio leads Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries has been prevented by the
Home Office from entering Britain
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The significant rise in
cases of witchcraft allegations and persecution in the UK has been attributed
to the activities of African – especially Nigerian – churches in the country. Gary Foxcroft, Executive
Director of the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network, said in a
statement Monday that the churches are growing at a phenomenal rate across the
UK.
“Most
of them are branches of large mega churches from Africa,” said Mr. Foxcroft.
“Some
of these churches are known to promote the idea that children can be witches.
Indeed the head of one of the biggest churches in Africa was captured on
YouTube slapping a young woman and calling her a witch.
PREMIUM TIMES report continues:
“There
is currently no regulation in place to stop such people from entering the UK
and establishing churches. This is clearly something that the government needs
to address.”
Cases
of witchcraft allegations and persecution have risen in the UK over the last
two years, according to a BBC investigation.
The
Metropolitan Police said there had been 60 crimes linked to belief in
witchcraft and spirit possession in London so far this year, with reports
doubling from 23 in 2013 to 46 in 2014.
More
widely, in local councils across the UK, recorded cases rose from 10 in 2012,
to 21 in 2013, and 31 in 2014, the police stated.
Experts,
however, believe that the statistics represent the tip of the iceberg of a
widespread phenomenon, with human rights campaigners calling for the UK
government to do more to regulate faith groups, many of whom are believed to be
behind such practices.
Mr.
Foxcroft linked cases of witchcraft allegations and persecution to Christian
and Muslim faith group where children, women, and the disabled are often
labelled as witches or possessed by evil spirits, and then forced to undergo
‘deliverance’ or ‘exorcism’ ceremonies, often for a fee.
“There
are a number of challenges to overcome to put a stop to this practice,” Mr.
Foxcroft said.
“The
first is at a national policy level. There is a complete lack of regulation of
the people and practices that are behind these cases.
“The
fact is that most cases primarily arise due to the practices of faith leaders,
often in Pentecostal churches.”
Mr.
Foxcroft said whilst the Home Office had been focusing strongly on preventing
Islamic or far-right extremists from entering the UK to spread their hate
speech, more needs to be done to stop pastors who commit acts of terror on
children.
“Preventing
such people from entering the UK therefore needs to be prioritized,” he said.
“Additionally,
any places of worship found to be promoting such beliefs and practices in the
UK should be shut down and have their assets seized.
“The
Charity Commission in particular needs to show stronger leadership here.
Finally, at the local level awareness and understanding is lacking amongst
frontline staff.
“Most
practitioners that we have trained express how they find the beliefs in
witchcraft and subsequent methods used to deal with them, such as deliverances
or exorcisms, deeply challenging issues to work on.”
Other
human rights campaigners have also focused on the importance of challenging the
beliefs that lead to children and other vulnerable groups being labelled as
witches.
Leo
Igwe, a human rights activist, said that any initiative to tackle the problem
must include a program that educates and enlightens people to understand that
children cannot be witches.
“The
belief that they cause misfortune through witchcraft or magic is mistaken and
must be abandoned,” said Mr. Igwe, who has worked to raise awareness of the issues
facing vulnerable people accused of witchcraft in Africa and Europe.
“Religion or
multiculturalism is not, and should not be, an excuse to condone harmful
practices in Africa or in migrant communities in the UK.”
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