Category: Ritual Killing

UK Government tackles abuse of children accused of witchcraft

Child killers Erirc Bikubi and Magalie Bamu The UK government has announced plans to tackle the “wall of silence” around the abuse and neglect of children accused of witchcraft, following the brutal murder of Kristy Bamu.

In London there have been 81 recorded cases of children being abused as part of religious practice over the past 10 years but police and church groups are convinced it is under-reported.

Albino girl, 11, killed and beheaded in Swaziland ‘for witchcraft’

An 11-year-old albino girl from Swaziland was shot dead in front of her friends and then beheaded in what police believe was a ritual murder.

The murder is the latest in a series of albino killings in Sub-Saharan Africa, where sufferers of the rare skin pigmentation condition are concentrated.

Earlier this year, another 11-year-old albino child was killed close to the same spot in Swaziland and her hand was removed.

Police believe both children may have been targeted because of a belief by witch doctors that the blood and body parts of albinos – who lack pigment in their eyes, hair and skin – can bring good luck and fortune when used in potions.

Their value for black magic practitioners sees them often fall prey to human traffickers, one of whom was jailed for 17 years in Tanzania this week for abducting and attempting to sell a live albino man.

Zimbabwean mother kills son to sell ear to witch doctor

Christine Hofisi, 21, from Chipinge near the Mozambique border, is accused of strangling the 18-month-old child before removing his left ear.

Detectives believe that the boy’s ear was sold for $20 to a healer over the border known as Maheza.

He is currently on the run, having been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a series of ritual murders following the discovery of 11 human skulls at his home.

Uganda’s epidemic of child sacrifice

Witchdoctor Gruesome stories of people, especially children, being killed by parents, friends, and strangers in horrific ritual practices have become common in the news from Uganda in the last four months.

At least 25 ritual murders involving children were confirmed in Uganda in 2006. In the same year, there were 230 cases of child abduction. The cases dropped to 108 in 2007, but then increased to 318 in 2008. So far in 2009, 18 cases of child sacrifice have been recorded, 15 of which have been investigated.

Court documents claim man killed step-daughters in Satanic ritual

Court Prosecutors say 26-year-old Lawrence Douglas Harris Sr., who faces two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his 8- and 10-year-old stepdaughters in January, was practicing satanism and carefully planned the killings as a part of a spell or ritual from “The Satanic Bible.”

Shortly after the girls’ deaths, police said Harris told them they had died during a spell that “had gone bad.”