Barely two months after the Ghana government closed down the Bonyasi witches’ camp in the northern region some of the alleged witches are relocating to neigbouring camps for safety, says Anti-Witchcraft Allegation Campaign Coalition-Ghana.
In December last year, some 55 women, aged between 48 and 90 years, accused of witchcraft and banished from some communities to live in the Bonyasi witches' camp were released to reunite with their families.
However, Mr Kenneth Addae, the Coodinator of Anti-Witchcraft Allegation Campaign Coalition-Ghana told the Ghana News Agency on Thursday that, only a few days after government declared the camp closed, two of the “outcast women” run away to another home.
“It is sad and disappointing to note that, only 3 days after the ceremony held in Tamale (December, 2014) to officially close the Bonyase home, 2 out of the 5 outcast women had to immediately relocate to the Gnani home, near Yendi,” he bemoaned.
“The alleged witches face discrimination, there are no police in some of the communities they live, they fear for their lives, their security cannot be guaranteed and they had to run for safety and protection,” Mr Addae said.
The coalition warned that any attempt to make culture or traditional religion irrelevant in the lives of the people, might backlash and result in dire consequences for the accused women.
Most witchcraft accusation cases in Ghana occur repeatedly in deprived rural and pro-poor communities, which do not receive any attention, resulting in victims suffering from outright lynching, continues stigmatization and/or banishment from their homes and communities, he said.
“We propose a peaceful re-integration process devoid of any publicity or media campaign – as it was done recently by parading victims to the cameras and showcased to the public or entire world thereby, exposing their vulnerability,” Addae said.
The coalition is asking that the process of camp closure and reintegration be carried out through long term planning alongside various innovative interventions, looking at seven to 15 years, with more focus on intensive public education.
Government had said the necessary steps were being taken to close down the other alleged witches' camps across the country and reunite the alleged witches there with their families and communities.
But the coalition is raising issues of sustainability and believes that, the immediate closure of those camps does not resolve issues of accusations and banishment in communities.
GNA
