Child sacrifice in Uganda

Issue

Rural districts near Kampala, Uganda's capital, have been badly affected by kidnappings of vulnerable people, children in particular, for sacrificial purposes.^[5] It is a modern phenomenon that is pretending to be part of the country's old custom, through the use of traditional medicine, which roughly 80% of people rely on.^[6][7] Villages have been left gripped by fear and bewilderment from such activities. In exposed communities’, roadsides posters, workshops, and alert systems have been erected to warn children and their families of the danger posed by Witch Doctors abducting for the purpose of child sacrifice.^[4]

Motive

Witchdoctors, who also identify as traditional healers, will consult the spirits for anyone who can pay their fee.^[6] The spirits will communicate via them the kind of sacrifice for appeasement that they want. Often these sacrifices are chickens or goats, but when such sacrifices fail to make the client prosper instantly ‘the spirits' will demand human sacrifices.^[8]

The witchdoctors themselves may believe that this is indeed a powerful magical ritual, but in other cases, it is a strategy used to give the client an impossible task so that the witchdoctor does not appear to have failed. The witchdoctor is able to gain a lot of wealth by facilitating and carrying out human sacrifices as the fee charged is normally very high.^[8] The desire for instant wealth on the part of the client and greed on the part of the witchdoctor has created a ready market for children to be bought and sold at a price. Children have become a commodity of exchange and child sacrifice is more than a religious or cultural issue, it has become a commercial business.^[8]

Causes

Children are often victims of sacrifice for various reasons, the most common being they are relatively easy to abduct.^[6] The vulnerability of a child in comparison to an adult is much higher, children are more easily lured in or unable to fight back.^[9] Another reason children are abducted is that spiritually they are seen as more ‘pure’; a sacrifice that is “pure” or “unblemished” is believed to bring better results.^[10][11] If a child has been circumcised, scarred or has had their ears pricked this represents disfigurement or impurity and they may be spared from sacrifice.^[11] Some parents have marked their children in these ways to protect them.^[11][6] In other cases children are given to witchdoctors by relatives out of desperation for money; a child's' life is worth a high price and it provides instant money for struggling families.^[10] Another cause for children being abducted is the belief that children represent new growing life, and offering them as a sacrifice will bring prosperity and growth to the one procuring the sacrifice.^[12]

Process

Generally, a witchdoctor will try other methods first to bring about change of a person’s misfortunes or desires using herbal remedies or animal sacrifices.^[13] When change is not successful, resorting to child sacrifice is proposed because it is believed to be the most powerful.^[8] When a child is sacrificed, the witch doctor and his accomplices will generally undertake the whole process.^[6] This includes: the Witch-hunt, the abduction, followed by the removal of certain body parts, the making of a potion and lastly if required the discarding of the child's body.^[6] The removal of body parts depends on the type of outcome desired, most commonly heads, limbs, tongues, genitals, eyes, teeth, and organs are removed.^[13] The child is usually alive during the removal process, but figures suggest only a very small proportion of children survive.^[14] One type of sacrifice is the removal of blood, it is then used in medicines or mixed with herbs.^[13][6] It will be used in the place where success, healing or wealth is desired. In other cases a child is buried under foundation either dead or alive or only hands, feet and genitals to bring good luck to the new building.^[8][6]

Effects

A child that survives sacrifice is left with traumatizing consequences for the rest of their lives. Most commonly survivors are left with large scars across their body, head and neck in particular.^[6] Genital mutilation is also common. Survivors are left with urinary issues and distorted puberty development.^[6] The psychological damage to children affects their entire development; victims can struggle to develop ‘normal’ relationships after such an attack.^[6] Families are also affected as parents often bear the financial burden of covering short-term or long-term treatment.^[8]

Background

A study of the Ugandan context shows great disparity between the rich elite and the average Ugandan who struggles to make ends meet. It is almost impossible for someone born in a poor family to climb up on the social ladder. The gap between the rich and the poor combined with discontent with the political status quo, endemic corruption and general feeling that the country has lost direction breeds a lot of discontent and frustration. It is in such an environment that the witchdoctors thrive, promising desperate people a miraculous way to bridge the gap from have-not to have, from failure to success and from poverty to wealth.^[15]

The small elite who gained wealth in a relatively short time during Uganda’s economic boom in the early 21st century is an example promoted by witchdoctors for their successful profession. They claim that they have aided many of the nouveau riche to gain their wealth. According to the head of the country's Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce, the child sacrifice is directly linked to rising levels of development and prosperity, and an increasing belief that witchcraft can help people get rich quickly.^[15]

Witchdoctors and Traditional Healers

All witchdoctors identify as traditional healers but not all traditional healers are witchdoctors and most do not perform child sacrifice.^[16] This identification has caused witchcraft to be associated with the healing practices of the indigenous culture; generating a rise in fascination with witchcraft.^[16] This has resulted in a damaged reputation of those traditional healers and herbalists who do not use human flesh but are still blamed for these crimes.^[16]

Rationale

Mike Chibata the top law enforcer of Uganda said the growing appeal is due to superstition and a desire to get rich quick that people buy into; witchdoctors tell them that child sacrifice is the best spell and that it is needed.^[14] It is thought that child sacrifice increases the power of a witchdoctors magic because it makes the charms, amulets or talismans that are given to clients, stronger.^[6] For this reason, witchdoctors stay practicing, along with great financial benefit. Witchdoctors are now in a difficult place. They have the fear that if they continue they will be sentenced or that if they stop the spirits will go against them and kill them.^[17]

Increased risk

There is an increased risk of child sacrifice and increased work for witchdoctors around the elections. This is because high-profile Ugandans have brought into the practice by being convinced they need to sacrifice a child to win a seat as an MP.^[18]

Survivor

BBC news investigated a seven-year-old boy called Allan Ssembatya.^[19][16] He was attacked by a local witchdoctor and two acquaintances on his way home from school while walking with friends.^[19][16] In the witchdoctor's shrine he was struck on the neck, across the shoulders, and in the head with a machete.^[19][16] One of his testicles was removed and he was left for dead in a bush, he survived, but was in a coma for a month.^[19][16] The local witchdoctor admitted to this but the case is still pending due to slow investigation and allegation of corruption. Allan’s family had to move homes and jobs to get through the ordeal and there are still adverse effects to this day.^[19][16]

Killed victim

Steven (Emmanuel) Kironde was killed at the age of six in 2009.^[16][20] He was in the care of his grandmother, who left the family home briefly for an errand, when he was abducted.^[16][20] His body was found the next morning decapitated behind the house.^[16][20] The witchdoctor was arrested but three weeks later the police offered a pay out to the grandmother to drop the case.^[16][20] This was declined and further developments have not been made.^[16][20] There are several cases like this in the court system.^[16][20]

Former witchdoctor

Polino Angela gave up this work in 1990 since then he has dedicated his time to converting 2,400 other witchdoctors.^[17] He admitted to killing seventy children including his own ten-year-old son in his past.^[17][15] James Nsaba Buturo, the Minister of Ethics and Integrity agreed with Polino’s approach stating persuading change is better than retrospective punishment, which would cause a problem for justice.^[15]

Legislation

There are three pieces of legislation currently governing child sacrifice in Uganda. The most recent of these was the October 2009 Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, this contained relevant sections on trafficking for the use of body parts.^[24] Prior to this there was only the Witchcraft Act of 1957 and the Children’s Act 1997.^[25][26] Child sacrifice through witchcraft has been allowed because the authorities did not implement the Witchcraft Act on the ground.^[6] The Act itself is hard to try anyone under because of its vague expression.^[6] Child sacrifice is not specifically mentioned in it. This means that giving a maximum sentence for the murder of a child by sacrifice is extremely difficult and the courts rarely use it. ^[6] In 2016 an amendment to the Children’s Act was passed. Under clause 10 it protects children from violence and provides a right to access child protection services.^[27][28] This development for Uganda specifically prohibits child sacrifice, trafficking, sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation.^[28] It also ensures a service for children who have been victims and sets a mandatory structure for reporting abuse.^[28]

Anti-Human Sacrifice and Trafficking Task Force

This force was created in 2009 along with the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act. The government established the force with the intention that they would to oversee and coordinate investigations, collect statistics and work with the general public to stop this practice.^[6] The Force are covering more cases than before its establishment, but there is still a struggle to gain adequate evidence for convictions.^[6]

The task force consists of an officer with a motorcycle and it works without a proper budget.^[29] Consequently, many Ugandans believe that the gesture of the Ugandan government is more a matter of window dressing to avert local and international criticism than a genuine attempt.

International Obligations

Uganda is obliged under multiple treaties to protect the rights of children. The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child requires Uganda to act in the best interest of the countries children by ensuring they all have basic human rights.^[30] Uganda also ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.^[31] Several articles within this charter set out clear obligations to protect human rights. In particular Article 4 and 5 protect everyone's right to life and freedom from bad and cruel treatment.^[31] Article 18 specifically identifies the protection for children.^[31] This international instrument works to promote and protect basic human freedoms and human rights throughout Africa. Uganda is obliged to fulfill these expectations by continuously establishing state mechanisms to prevent tragedies like child sacrifice.