WUNRN
THE TANDEM PROJECT
UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
Separation of Religion or Belief & State (SOROBAS)
UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW
Killing of Witches
Issue:
Review:
The Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights
records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years. UPR Introduction and
News:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMain.aspx
The
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process is an opportunity for UN Member States,
NGOs and civil society to support genuine and inclusive dialogue, progress
assessment and promotion of Article 18 and the 1981 UN Declaration on Freedom
of Religion or Belief.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
THE TANDEM PROJECT FOLLOW-UP
The
Tandem Project Mission is education, progress assessment and advocacy for
Article 18 – “everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, thought and
religion or belief”- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
In 1968 the UN deferred
work on an International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Religious Intolerance because of its complexity and sensitivity. Violence,
suffering and discrimination based on religion or belief in many parts of the
world is greater than ever. It is time for
a UN Working Group to draft what they deferred in 1968, a comprehensive core
international human rights treaty-a United Nations Convention on Freedom of
Religion or Belief: United
Nations History – Freedom of Religion or Belief
The Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) process is a four year cycle to implement National Reports on
human rights obligations and responsibilities, and recommendations made by UN
Member States, NGOs, civil society and other stakeholders. The Tandem Project
Follow-up objective is to encourage an exchange
ideas and programs on human rights and freedom of religion or belief.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
KILLING OF WITCHES
Excerpts:
“The relevance of
the practice of witchcraft to human rights is clearly a complex matter, and it
is not possible to do justice to it within the confines of a report of this
nature. Perhaps the most appropriate starting point is to examine the contexts
in which attention has been brought to the human rights consequences of the
phenomenon in recent years. Any such survey is inevitably incomplete, but it
can nevertheless provide an insight into the nature of the challenges that need
to be addressed.”
The
persecution and killing of individuals accused of practicing so-called
“witchcraft” – the vast majority of who are women and children-is a significant
phenomenon in many parts of the world, although it has not featured prominently
on the radar screen of human rights monitors. This may be due partly to the
difficulty of defining “witches” and “witchcraft” across cultures-traditional
or faith healing practices and are not easily defined. The fact remains,
however, that under the rubric of the amorphous and manipulability designation
of witchcraft, individuals (often those who are somehow different, feared or
disliked) are singled out for arbitrary private acts of violence or for
Government-sponsored or tolerated acts of violence. In too many settings, being
classified as a witch is tantamount to receiving a death sentence.
While
there has been a steady trickle of reports from civil society groups alleging
the persecution and killing of persons accused of being witches, the problem
has never been addressed systematically in the context of human rights…A
prominent exception is the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) which acknowledges in its guidelines that women are still
identified as witches in some communities and burned or stoned to death. These
practices may be culturally condoned in the claimant’s community of origin but
still amount to persecution.
Defining
witches and witchcraft is not an easy task. “Witchcraft” has denoted many
different practices or beliefs at different times and in diverse cultures. In
some cultures, belief in witchcraft is rare; in others, people see it as
“everyday and ordinary, forming as it does an integral part of their daily
lives. Such beliefs are not confined to any particular strata of society,
whether in terms of education, income or occupation…Today, in the social
sciences, and especially in the disciplines of religious studies, anthropology
and ethnology, a wide range of contemporary beliefs and practices termed
“witchcraft” or “sorcery” are studied around the world.”
Report:
of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions – Philip
Alston. (A/HRC/11/2)
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/11session/A.HRC.11.2.pdf
Websites, Conferences and Reports
Google: Advanced Search:
Google is the best source
for a quick Internet review of Killing of Witches in
African Traditional Religions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Traditional_Religion
“African traditional
religions, that are also referred to as African indigenous religions is a term
referring to a variety of religions indigenous to the continent of
Traditional African
religions involve teachings, practices, and rituals that lend structure to
indigenous African societies. These traditional African religions also play a
large part in the cultural understanding and awareness of the people of their
communities.” The Wikipedia free encyclopedia on Traditional African Religions
can be read by clicking on the link above.
The
“
Today
Kofi
Annan - Former UN Secretary General
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofi_Annan
“Kofi Atta Annan,
a Ghanaian diplomat, served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United
Nations from
The former UN
Secretary-General received a Ford Foundation grant, enabling him to complete
his undergraduate studies at
Study of Law and Religion,
The Center for the Study
of Law and Religion at
Western perceptions of
religion and church-state relations must be put aside before productive
conversations about law, religion, and human rights can take place in
sub-Saharan Africa, according to religious liberty scholars and activists who
took part in a conference hosted by the Center for the Study of Law and
Religion (CSLR) April 30-May 3, 2008, in Durban, South Africa…The conference
discovered that when discussing religion in Africa, the immediate challenge is
defining the word “religion,” because its meaning is tangled in colonial
imposition of western definitions upon African cultural practices.”
The conference proposes
from an international human rights perspective to “identify ongoing and future
problem areas relating to the relationship between church and state and the
interaction of religion and law in the various regions and countries of the
world.” If defining the word “religion” is difficult because it imposes western
definitions upon African cultural practices, how can alternative languages be
structured that would accommodate both the Constitutions and traditional
African cultural practices of these countries at local levels?
Excerpts:
“Another subject
that contributes to the religious confusion is a widespread belief in
witchcraft. The problem lies in the debate between whether or not witchcraft
should be treated as religion or mere superstition. If witchcraft is considered
a religion, should it be protected? Would it be constitutional for
self-proclaimed witches and wizards to practice their religion, even if in some
cases it involves violation of others’ rights?
The
subject matter is sensitive and raises the question of ‘traditional beliefs and
practices versus the rule of law.’ Many African traditional practices are
misunderstood because of a perceived similarity to clearly defined religious
activities in other parts of the world. African constitutions reflect almost
all varieties of church-state relations, but “the theoretical constitutional
provisions regulating the relationship between church and state are perhaps in
most cases fiction rather than fact. Selected papers presented at the Durban
Conference will be published in the African Human Rights
Journal, and some of the more complex issues that arose are being
explored by CSLR and other conference participants.”
The State Department
Office of International Religious Freedom has the mission of promoting
religious freedom as a core objective of
The Tandem Project uses
the research of these annual reports as sources for Universal Periodic Reviews,
including progress assessment on
U.S. President Barack
Obama made an official visit to
The intersection of human
rights, racism, religion and cultural traditions is not clearly
understood. The United Nations has tried
through educational efforts since passage of the 1966 International Covenant on
the Elimination of all Forms of Racism (CERD) and the recently concluded Durban
Review Conference. The issue of the Killing of Witches has
unique dimensions in all countries. In the
Excerpts:
This practice was prevalent mainly in the Northern,
Upper East, and Upper West regions of the country. There were no official
figures on the number of accused women living in "witch camps." NGOs
conducting sensitization workshops in the North estimate this number to be near
3,000. Even though the number of named witches present in the camps was quite
high, the numbers had stabilized over the past few years and were slowly
decreasing. Outreach and community sensitization by various NGOs have made
considerable progress in rehabilitating the accused women back into their
communities and preventing acts of violence against them.
Although the law provides protection for alleged
witches, there were several cases of lynching and assault against those accused
of witchcraft. In August 2006 a local NGO in the Northern Region reported that
police refused to take the statement of a woman who had been assaulted by a
group of villagers for fear that she would cast a spell on them. The NGO
observed that such cases are not uncommon.
The Government, under the auspices of the Domestic
Violence Victim Support Unit, continued to prosecute persons who committed acts
of violence against suspected witches and also refrained from charging anyone
solely on the basis of witchcraft.”
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/7session/A.HRC.7.6.Add.3.doc
63. Belief in supernatural forces is deeply
rooted in Ghanaian culture and still widely held, especially in rural areas and
among the less educated. Being accused of practicing witchcraft is therefore a
very serious charge that can have grave consequences. Accused women are often
driven violently from their homes and communities, physically assaulted and, in
extreme cases, also murdered.
64. Despite its serious
ramifications, an accusation of witchcraft can be easily triggered.
A community member may dream that a certain woman is a witch or an adverse
event occurs in the community that cannot be explained, such as a suspicious or
unexpected death of a community member. Negative human sentiments such as
jealousy or the desire to find a scapegoat are also at the base of witchcraft
allegations. In some cases, witchcraft allegations seem to be deliberately
directed at women who are successful and are seen as a threat to the
patriarchal order.
65. Therefore, while any woman can
potentially be accused of being a witch, the victims of those accusations who
suffer the most serious consequences are almost always elderly women, who lack
family protection and do not have the power to defend themselves against their
accusers.
66. Violence against women branded as witches
is reported from all regions, but the issue is more visible in the north due to
the existence of so-called “witches’ camps”. This misleading term refers to
settlements established with the consent of the local community, where women
accused of witchcraft can seek refuge and protection from persecution by their
own community or family. In that sense, a witches’ camp is a protection mechanism
comparable to a women’s shelter. In some cases, family members may also join
the accused at the witches’ camp.
67. During the course of my visit, I visited
the settlement in Gambaga (East Mamprusi District, Northern Region), which is
officially called the Gambaga Outcast Home. Its origins are said to date back
to around 1900, when a local Imam took pity on women accused of witchcraft and
provided them with refuge. Eventually, the local chief (the Gambarana) assumed this protective role. The Gambarana is thought to be vested with the special spiritual
power to determine whether a woman is a witch or not. It is also believed that
he can purify witches and extinguish their supernatural powers.
68. Around 80 women, aged between 40 and 70,
live at the Gambaga Outcast Home, which is a compound of thatched huts situated
adjacent to the village. Some women have lived in Gambaga for more than 20
years, because their community or family steadfastly refused their return. The
local population in Gambaga is not afraid to live and interact with these
women, since tradition holds that the local gods neutralize a witch’s power to
practice her craft once she comes to Gambaga. Nevertheless, a certain stigma
remains and women accused of witchcraft can usually only engage in certain
limited income-generating activities such as firewood collection. Since they
also lack the support of their own family, the women are completely destitute.
69. The Gambaga Outcast Home
Project, an exemplary initiative, provides support to women and facilitates
their reintegration into their home communities. Since the convictions of the
local population about witchcraft are very strong, the project does not
question the very notion of witchcraft, but tries to address the social and the
spiritual dimensions of each individual case. Aisha, 47, is one of the women
supported by the project. She had to flee to Gambaga, when a woman from her
community dreamt that she was a witch and subsequently died from a seemingly
inexplicable cause. Community members severely beat her and her husband, when
he tried to protect her. They burned her house and threatened to kill her. When
she came to Gambaga, the Gambarana
determined that she was indeed a witch and should, at least for the moment, not
return to her community.
70. After intense negotiations, the project
staff managed to convince Aisha’s home community to rebuild Aisha’s house and
allow her to occasionally visit her husband. The Gambarana
has supported the reintegration process by performing a ritual to free the
bewitched soul of the woman who supposedly died from Aisha’s alleged
witchcraft. At the time of my visit, another ritual was being planned to fully
remove Aisha’s supposed witchcraft powers and reconcile her with her community.
CHRAJ: Submission of UPR Report to the UN HCR: http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session2/GH/CHRAJ_GHA_UPR_S2_2008_CommissiononHumanRightsandAdministrativeJustice_uprsumbission_NHRI.pdf
The Commission on
Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is the National Human Rights
Institution of Ghana. It is a key source in
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE TANDEM PROJECT PROPOSALS
Proposals for constructive, long-term solutions to conflicts based on
religion or belief:
(1) Develop a model
local-national-international integrated approach to human rights and freedom of
religion or belief, appropriate to the cultures of each country, as follow-up to the Universal Periodic Review. 1. (2) Use International Human Rights Standards on
Freedom of Religion or Belief as a rule of law for inclusive and genuine
dialogue on core values within and among nations, all religions and other
beliefs, and for protection against discrimination. (3) Use the standards on
freedom of religion or belief in education curricula and places of worship,
“teaching children, from the very beginning, that their own religion is one out
of many and that it is a personal choice for everyone to adhere to the religion
or belief by which he or she feels most inspired, or to adhere to no religion
or belief at all.” 2.
Standards: http://www.tandemproject.com/program/81_dec.htm
1:
2: Mr.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
United Nations Secretary
General Ban Ki Moon, at the Alliance of Civilizations Madrid Forum said; “never
in our lifetime has there been a more desperate need for constructive and
committed dialogue, among individuals, among communities, among cultures, among
and between nations.”
Genuine dialogue on human
rights and freedom of religion or belief calls for respectful discourse, discussion
of taboos and clarity by persons of diverse beliefs. Inclusive dialogue
includes people of theistic, non-theistic and
atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief.
The warning signs are clear, unless there is genuine dialogue ranging from
religious fundamentalism to secular dogmatism; conflicts in the future will
probably be even more deadly.
The challenge to
religions or beliefs at all levels is awareness, understanding
and acceptance of international human rights standards on freedom of
religion or belief. Leaders, teachers and followers of all religions or
beliefs, with governments, are keys to test the viability of inclusive and
genuine dialogue in response to the UN Secretary General’s urgent call for
constructive and committed dialogue.
The Tandem Project title,
Separation of Religion or Belief and State (SOROBAS), reflects the far-reaching scope of UN
General Comment 22 on Article 18, International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, Human Rights Committee (CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.4). The General Comment on
Article 18 is a guide to international human rights law for peaceful
cooperation, respectful competition and resolution of conflicts:
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/9a30112c27d1167cc12563ed004d8f15?Opendocument
Surely one of the best
hopes for humankind is to embrace a culture in which religions and other
beliefs accept one another, in which wars and violence are not tolerated in the
name of an exclusive right to truth, in which children are raised to solve
conflicts with mediation, compassion and understanding.
We welcome ideas on how this can be accomplished; info@tandemproject.com.
The Tandem Project is a non-governmental organization (NGO)
founded in 1986 to build understanding, tolerance and respect for diversity,
and to prevent discrimination in matters relating to freedom of religion or
belief. The Tandem Project has sponsored multiple conferences, curricula,
reference materials and programs on Article 18 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights – Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion - and 1981 United Nations Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or
Belief.
The Tandem Project is a UN NGO in
Special Consultative Status with the
Economic and Social Council of
the United Nations
================================================================
To contact the list administrator, or to leave the list, send an email to:
wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.