Children are being hunted down, tortured, and murdered because they are accused of possessing magical powers. Efforts to combat these atrocities are growing. An overview marking the World Day Against Witch Hunts.
The children’s home in Eket has a new roof and new floors, doors, and windows, and 25 new bunk beds complete with mattresses and bed linen. The facility in Nigeria is run by the regional Child’s Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN). The renovation was funded by human aktiv, the charity of the New Apostolic Church in Southern Germany.
CRARN rescues and looks after children who have been accused of witchcraft. Branded as practitioners of dark magic, these children are often made scapegoats for misfortune within their communities. According to Martin Dawes of UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, economic hardship, conflict, and natural disasters have fuelled this form of stigmatisation, “When circumstances take a turn for the worse, people look for someone to blame— and children are defenceless.”
Refuge from torture and death
Tens of thousands of children have endured horrific abuse, including torture during exorcisms. Many are driven from their homes, while others are killed. In the Niger Delta alone, CRARN has rescued 8,000 children. At its children’s home, they are given safety, care, and the opportunity to grow up free from further persecution.
In other African countries, SOS Children’s Villages provide support, as reported by human aktiv. They take in abandoned minors and carry out awareness-raising work to put an end to harmful superstitions and the life-threatening accusations and abusive practices associated with them.
From the shadows into the spotlight
For the New Apostolic charity based in the south of Germany, the donation towards renovating children’s home was just the beginning: “With a new aid project, human aktiv aims to provide long-term support for so-called witch children in Africa,” the website announced in March 2026.
The continued existence of witch hunts in the modern world is receiving growing public attention. One example is the World Day Against Witch Hunts, which has been observed since around 2020. The annual commemorative day was initiated by the Catholic charity Missio. The United Nations is currently considering a proposal to proclaim its own international day of action.
The Bible and the Church reject witch hunts
Reports of the persecution of people accused of witchcraft continue to emerge primarily from Africa, but also from countries in Oceania and South America. According to experts, the number of people killed in witch hunts since 1960 may exceed the death toll from the European witch persecutions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
As 90 per cent of New Apostolic Christians live in Africa, the issue of witchcraft is also of particular relevance to the New Apostolic Church. A special edition of the guide for ministers was published on this subject as early as 2013.
According to the publication, both the Old Testament and the New Testament condemn all forms of magic as sinful. “In our battle against witchcraft,” it says, the Church sees various tasks. Firstly: “We need to address witchcraft as a moral issue.” Secondly: “We need to change people’s perception and understanding of witchcraft (i.e. what goes on in their minds). Instead of fearing witchcraft, members need to focus on God and cultivate a healthy outlook on life.” And finally: “We need to teach that God’s children have been empowered by God to be free from evil powers. This is the ‘armour of God’ that is freely available to believers.”
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Photos: Human Aktiv
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