WUNRN
College of William & Mary
Journal of Women & The Law - Volume 17, Issue 2, Article 7
WITCHCRAFT: A HUMAN RIGHTS CONFLICT
BETWEEN CUSTOMARY/TRADITIONAL LAWS AND THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
By Maakor Quarmyne
INTRODUCTION
I. BACKGROUND: WITCHCRAFT AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
A. Definition of
“Witch” and “Witchcraft”
B. Witchcraft
Accusations
C. How an
Accusation of Witchcraft Operates
D. Statistics of
Witchcraft Accusations in Sub-Saharan Africa
E. Witchcraft and
Its Effects on the Social Ordering Of Communities Within Sub-Saharan Africa
II. THE “MULTI-FACETED” LEGAL STRUCTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
A. History of Legal
Systems Within Sub-Saharan Africa
B. Sources of Law
Within Contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa
C. Witchcraft: A
Legal Enigma in Sub-Saharan Africa
III. WITCHCRAFT AND HUMAN RIGHTS
A. The Human Rights
Question and Sub-Saharan Africa
B. The Human Rights
Answer to the Witchcraft Challenge
C. The
Local/Regional Perspective on Women’s Rights in Africa
D. The
International Perspective on Women’s Rights
IV. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
CONCLUSION